In purSuit
by Tinkering-Lady
Summary: The peace over Deck was fake. It was restraint, forced. The calm before the storm. Then came the catalyst that finally broke the tranquility that the Royals clung to; the Jokers. Missing Suits in Spades, overpopulation in Diamonds, unrest in the Clubs and rebellion in Hearts were the last of their worries when the King of Spades is missing and the Jack of Hearts has strange dreams.
1. Prologue - The Queen's Ails

Prologue

Night had claimed the sky hours ago but those in the castle of the Spades were far away from sleep, as much they wanted it. The kingdom was in unrest. So its Suit was in unrest.

A slender man with striking yellow hair strode purposefully down the impressive hall. His brown boots with gold trimmings tapped loudly in the hallway. His purple cloak, draped over his left shoulder to cover the Royal Sword on his hip, billowed behind him like the tail of a shooting star. This was Arthur Kirkland, powerful and effortlessly elegant. An innate gentleman.

His is the title of Queen, the second highest power in a Suit. He had scorned the title as a child, thinking it was a position only meant for women. But the rankings of the Suits—from King, Queen, Jack to the numbers—were based solely on power and birthright, not gender or class.

"Your Majesty," a scratchy voice said behind him.

"What is it?" Arthur snapped at the manservant dressed in the Spades' blue motif.

"The Jack, Yao Wang, requests your presence in the castle library," the old manservant, unflinching to his Queen's constant sharp tone, replied bowing at the waist. "He insists that it is the utmost importance."

"Very well," Arthur sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. He usually wouldn't show anyone such a side of himself but his exhaustion from the past few months were getting harder to hide. He turned sharply around and headed the opposite direction. "I hope you don't mind me saying but you are not as young as you used to be. Please retire for the night. Plenty of the other staff running around to send messages."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord," the old man rasped, trying to hide the relief in his voice but Arthur was already on his way.

_What could be so important that Yao had to send a bloody servant instead of getting me himself? _Arthur wondered angrily to himself. _And a human one at that! I have no doubt that the other Suits are still awake. This better be more important than a meeting with the village leaders._

The Queen huffed angrily and picked up his pace. He was many years older than that manservant. _Centuries _older. The thirteen members of a Suit did not age passed whatever age their kingdom needed them to be. It was the holy Hand's decision whether or not a member of the Suit has completed their service. He was turning two thousand and seven hundred fifty-three soon. Or was it two thousand and seven hundred fifty-four? Yet he looked barely over two decades old.

He threw open the doors to the library. It was dark. The dark blue curtains were closed, not letting the faintest rays of the moon to filter in. Arthur blinked for a moment to allow his lime-green eyes to adjust to the darkness.

A single orb of orange light immediately caught his attention. "My Queen?"

"You shouldn't send an ancient man to run after me. The poor bloke should have been resting by now," Arthur snapped.

"Someone in your age should be using the word 'ancient' so carelessly, aru," the Jack of Spades and old friend of Arthur's replied. "Isn't he practically an infant compared to you?"

"You shouldn't be talking. Even at my age, I can still call _you_ bloody ancient. _I_ am an infant compared to _you._" Arthur stepped forward and found Yao Wang bowing to him.

Yao stood straight and smiled. Even in the dark, he could easily imagine the features of the man. He was several inches shorter than the Queen with straight brown hair tied to a ponytail and chocolate brown eyes. He wore a blue open robe with the Spades crest printed in the bottom and bell sleeves that reached past his hands. Underneath was a black tunic that Arthur knew was thicker than it looked, probably left over practice armor from his lessons for the knights

The Jack of Spades was the oldest of all the Suits that rule over the four kingdoms of the Deck. He had experienced what other members of the Suits could only read about. He is a skilled fighter and wise beyond his years. So it irritates Arthur to no end when he acts like a child. But this was the man that taught him the ways of the Suit and what he needed to look out for as the Queen of Spades.

"Arthur, you are going to want to see this," Yao said, suddenly serious. He only referred to his Queen with his first name if things were either really serious or going to be really bad. Or both.

Arthur nodded and let the elder lead him deeper into the library. It was completely dark. The library was barren of people besides them. The only light came from the oil lantern that Yao held before him. The library was as vast as the ocean of shadows and misshapen blots of black, millions of books cradled in its shelves. Even Yao with his eons of life has not read all the words it held.

But words aren't the only things it held.

The Queen and the Jack traveled deeper into the library until they came to a portrait of the former King and Queen of the Spades. Their names were forgotten by the people but they will be forever remembered by the current and future Suits. They were both females. Both disappeared over a thousand years ago.

As beautifully woven as the tapestry was, Arthur had no clue as to what significance it held at the moment. _This is more important than meeting with the village leaders? What in the bloody hell is this?_

As if reading his mind, Yao stepped forward and lifted the tapestry. The old and thick fabric groaned from centuries of stiffness, making Arthur grind his teeth. As a man of refined tastes, he very much appreciates art.

Those feelings of apprehension in damaging the art further flew out the window when Yao revealed an iron door. He knew that it was one of the doors that led to the underground tunnels that always ran under an old castle. But it wasn't the door that he was feeling uneasy about, but the rather, the lock.

It was broken.

Destroyed was more like it. It was an unbreakable lock created by the Clubs Suit as part of their gift for his coronation and reinforced by Arthur's very own personal spells. And those were nowhere near amateur level. Now, it was mangled into pieces and barely hanging onto the door.

"There is only one person who could have done this," Yao said gravely.

Arthur felt his stress levels break through the impossibly high roof of the castle, as if they weren't already bad enough. And he snapped. "_Bollocks_!" he swore. "Each of the kingdoms has their own problems. The whole Deck is barely keeping together—the Diamonds spreading their borders, the Clubs on the verge of civil war, our own kingdom is King-less, and the Hearts discovering controversies—" Arthur clamped his mouth shut. _This won't help. Complaining like a bloody child is unbecoming of me._

Yao sighed and dropped the tapestry, concealing what was a sure sign that an impending fate was to befall all their lands. "The Hearts must know. The King of Hearts must be informed his brother is at large."

"This will certainly damage future relations," Arthur sighed, motioning the elder to lead them back out of the library. "How long ago was this?" _Why wasn't that first thing that came into my mind?_

"From how much of your spell has faded, several hours. To be honest, I'm surprised that he hasn't made a big deal of his escape."

Arthur lifted the purple hat from his head, ran a gloved hand through his blonde hair frustratingly then replaced the hat. He breathed away the pressure in his chest and stood his height as the Queen of the Spades Kingdom. With a wave of his hand, several orbs of light pulsed into life before him. They emitted a soft blue light, dimmer than Yao's lantern but bright enough so that the Queen could see the shelf closest to him. Arthur kept waving his hand until there were nine orbs, one for each member of the Suit excluding themselves and the missing King and Ace.

"By order of the Queen," Arthur declared to the wisps, "find and raise the other Suits. If they refuse, mention that it is an order from the Queen. I will be waiting for them in my office in half an hour. This order is to prioritize over above all other preoccupations."

He waved his hand once more and the wisps dispersed to relay the Queen's message. Arthur turned to Yao. "Jack of Spades," Yao straightened at the authority behind his voice, "I relieve you of all other responsibilities."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Your one and only charge from henceforth until the mission is complete, is to find the King of Spades. Then the Ace. Yes, that has been the goal of the Suits for several years now but more immediate issues have popped up. But no more rubbish. The finding of the King now prioritizes above all these other bloody messes."

"Yes, my Lord."

Arthur summoned another wisp, a red one this time. In his mind, he drafted a formal apology to the King of Hearts and a request for meeting with him. But before he told wisp, he shook his head and turned to face Yao.

"The kingdoms will fall apart, one by one, if this man isn't stopped immediately. And without our King, we will be the first to know. _Now go._ Go and find our King."


	2. In the Mountains

**Well, here's the next chapter. We get to meet Al and Mattie!**

**PartTimeEmo: Sorry but your questions won't be answered in this chapter. Maybe the next one? Not sure yet.**

* * *

**In the Mountains**

"Mattie!" Alfred yelled to his twin brother as he uprooted a fully grown pine tree. "Incoming!"

"What?" Matthew yelled back then jumped away as Alfred sent the pine tree sailing towards him and the dark figure he was fighting.

"Did I get 'em?" Alfred asked, helping his brother to his feet.

Matthew shook his head, his somewhat long blonde hair swaying.

Alfred let out a curse. "And now he's gone! Oh, well. Poor sucker must've gotten scared by my strength."

For what felt like the millionth time, an assassin attacked them. It started out when Alfred woke up to a shadow holding a knife over his sleeping brother's throat. It had scared the sleep away from them for several years, but Alfred was now over it. Matthew, however, started brooding whenever the subject was brought up.

The twins had begun to expect the assassin every day they left their home. They lived in the outskirts of a small mountain village specializing in agriculture. They walk past the humble farms and ranches on their way to the bordering forest to hunt—they had to go often since Alfred could eat a horse in a matter of hours if he was really hungry. And more often than not, the assassin would make an appearance then leave without a trace.

The assassin was able to move nimbly and avoid the twins bombardment of attacks—Matthew was a master with a spear as Alfred was with a bow and arrow, but the latter preferred to rely on his strength. However, the assassin hasn't been able to move forward in hurting them nor they hurting him. There were too many close calls to consider it a game but that was what the assassin was doing; playing with them

They had given up long ago in trying to find a reason why they were being targeted. There had been quite an amount of speculation but since no one else came for them, they assumed it was just a petty reason. It also didn't bother them as much since he never attacked in the village or other villagers. _Who the hell wants us dead?_ Alfred often thought to himself.

Alfred waited for a moment to see if the assassin would make another attack. When the assassin didn't return—not surprising since one attempt a day was how the assassin worked for as long as they could remember—Alfred gave his brother a smile. "What are we bringing home today?"

Matthew sighed but couldn't resist his twin's infectious smile. Alfred took the lead and wound his way through the forest looking for game. The fact that they are being hunted was somewhat exciting for Alfred. It meant he was significant, but more importantly, it meant that he ticked someone off without even doing anything. Matthew disagreed but didn't have any other idea.

They wrapped their fur cloaks around them tighter as the cold breeze of the mountains bit at them. Even with their layers of animal furs and tunics, they could still feel the cold as they climbed their mountain. They weren't high enough for frost and snow but the ever-present chill kept them company. The woods weren't very dense but were crowded enough to make anyone careful of where they placed their feet. It was early enough in the morning that owls were still hooting and flying about.

Alfred and Matthew were from a tribe of hunters and gatherers in the foot of the mountains. Both had short blonde hair—though Matthew's was a bit longer—and similar faces. Alfred had deep blue eyes while Matthew's were purple but were just as deep. Though they were the same height, Alfred had a bigger built than Matthew. The twins were the only ones that still ventured far up the mountains to hunt. If they weren't in the mountains, then they were in their homes. They used to walk around the village—Alfred loved people too much to stay away and often dragged his quiet brother with him. They stopped when they noticed how quickly villagers were aging. Alfred had been particularly close to a small boy for several decades. It had devastated him when he learned that the same boy died as an old man not too long ago.

After a couple hours of wandering silently through the woods, Alfred found an animal. A dead, decaying doe and her fawn beside her. The rancid smell of the corpse easily overpowered the woodland scent Alfred was so used too.

He turned to his twin. "Hey Mattie…"

Matthew was nowhere to be seen. An icy panic ran down his spine. _Did he fall into the river we passed by about a minute ago? Did the assassin get to him?_ More gruesome thoughts darted through his head as he scanned the trees. "MATTHEW!"

"I'm right here!"

Alfred shrieked—heroically, of course—and whirled around. His twin was was crouched several feet from the doe. Alfred could have sworn that he was behind him only seconds ago. He huffed at his brother's uncanny ability to disappear in the most unexpected of times and crouched beside him.

A grim expression and tense shoulders told him that Matthew was beyond angry. He had soft spot for the innocent animals. Alfred gritted his teeth. He didn't like it when his brother became this way.

"It's recent," Matthew mumbled.

"It was quick," Alfred said somewhat bluntly. He knew trying to soothe his brother as if he was a child would only make things worse. He often had to remind himself that he was older by only a couple minutes.

The deer couldn't have been dead for more than several hours. The clean cuts through both their necks spoke volumes—a quick kill, a serrated knife about seven inches long, a straight line with no struggling as if the animals didn't _feel _they were being killed. This wasn't a hunt where the death had a purpose, be it sport or survival of another. No. It was just _killing_.

"Dammit," Alfred swore as he and Matthew rose to their feet. "We know who did this…"

"And he's nearby," Matthew finished quietly in cold anger.

_I'm getting colder,_ Alfred thought warily. _Not sure if it's because of the coming winter or Mattie's anger._

Within a second, the twins whirled around with their respective weapons pointed at a black clad figure who froze from its slow approach. Instead of jumping into his killing techniques, the assassin sigh softly and plopped down on the ground. This surprised the boys but did nothing to lower their guard even if the assassin had been unable to cause any significant physical harm to them.

"How long do you possibly think you can live in your pretty little mountains in peace?"

Now, this received quite the reaction from the brothers. Matthew flinched, the spear quivering for a second in his grasp. Alfred almost dropped his bow. Yes, this was the first time that the assassin talked to them. Yes, it's the first time it actually acted like a human towards them. But it was the voice that completely threw them off. The_ feminine _voice.

Her face, as always, was covered by a black helmet, giving her a head an appearance of being comically round and big. She was wearing her usual shapeless tunic and robe, concealing any gender-defining features. She has always been short compared to them but the twins were taller than most of the other villagers they knew so this did not tell them much.

"I've been trying to kill you for two decades now—"

"Don't you think we know that!" Alfred yelled. Usually he was the more belligerent of brothers but he was the one holding back Matthew, enraged by the death of the deer for no reason, from charging the assassin. "And why the hell would you do that! We haven't done anything! Who are you and who sent you?"

"You were born," the assassin said as if it was an obvious fact. Is her breath becoming visible? "The fact that you exist is enough reason for me to kill both of you."

"What the hell—"

Before he could even finish a blast of cold wind knocked them down flat on the ground. Except for Matthew. He blew past Alfred and drove his spear towards the assassin's head. The assassin had slipped on the now frost-covered ground and Matthew barely missed her head.

Alfred swore again and sent several arrows flying at the assassin's vital areas. However, the assassin had enough time to gather her wits. Alfred barely managed to duck before several blades sang through the air where his head had been. _Those blades were faster than usual. Is she getting stronger?_ He quickly found his footing and used the frosted ground to slide down the slope of the mountain ground. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Matthew signaling for him to follow.

Matthew slid on the frosty ground towards the river. With nothing better to do and refusing to lose sight of his brother, Alfred struggled after him. With the terrain slightly more treacherous with the sudden appearance of the layer of ice, it wasn't just the twins struggling. The assassin, though moving faster, was making just as much sound. When the sound of the assassin disappeared, Matthew let out a warning yell.

"Al, DUCK!"

Alfred was already flat on the ground by the time Matthew finished his name, his bow tightly gripped in his hand. Several oddly shaped blades flew past over him as he continued to slide down. He twisted around and grabbed a thick root as thick as his leg sticking up from the ground. With a grunt, he pulled the root straight out of the ground and lobbed it at the assassin.

"Come on!" Matthew yelled as Alfred heaved himself to his feet.

From the female grunting somewhere behind them, Alfred knew that the root he threw hardly did a thing. Already, the air around them was becoming warmer as the roaring of the river became louder.

An idea popped into his head as they broke through the trees. "Jump into the river!" Not a very bright one.

Matthew gave him an incredulous look. "Into those monster currents? We'll be dead in seconds!"

Alfred glanced over his shoulder. The assassin was sliding and slipping towards them. He would've laughed if she hadn't that dangerous looking blade in her hands. _Where the hell did she pull that out of?_

He grabbed his brother's hand and charged towards the river bank. "Alfred, wait! We could get killed—!"

Alfred pushed Matthew ahead and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He turned around and fired. It missed, just as he expected, he bought them several seconds. There was a flash of color near her neck. B_rown hair?_

There was a rock jutting into the river ahead. The others in their village used this large rock as a starting point for a dam. Large trunks were carved into points near the top and tied together side by side and stood as a gateway for the water. It rose several feet above the roaring waters. On the other side was a small waterfall about twice Alfred's height. The waters seemed to pound harder as the brothers approached.

"We should dive behind the dam!" Matthew yelled.

_Then she'll just follow us to the village,_ Alfred wanted to yell back. His heart dropped when light footsteps thudded beside him. He ducked just as she swung a thin short blade towards his face. He kicked at the ground, sending a wave of mud, rocks and twigs at her.

The assassin let out a very girlish yelp.

Alfred _almost_ stopped to make sure she was okay but Matthew yelled at him to hurry. His twin started climbing the dam and threw himself over. "_Kumajiro!_" Alfred heard Matthew scream as he fell.

"That stupid bear isn't going to hear you!" Alfred screamed then froze.

_How did she get in front of me?_ Alfred's dark blue eyes were wide in horror as the assassin stood between him and the dam. _She has never been that fast before._

"You're the one with the inhuman strength, yes? Without you, the longer-haired one will be easier to defeat, no?"

"_Matthew isn't weak_," Alfred growled in reply. He could take a many insults that people have thrown at him but what he absolutely cannot tolerate, is anyone insulting his own brother.

"No, he isn't," the assassin, replied, her lowered voice sounded unnatural, "and neither am I."

A strangled cry reverberated from Alfred's chest as she disappeared over the dam. "MATTIE!"

He bolted to the dam and looked over. The first thing that caught his attention was a big white blot and an almighty roar. _Well I'll be damned, the freaking bear did show up._

Kumajiro, Matthew's pet white bear who has followed them around since they started wandering about at the death of their mother, was stalking a circle around the assassin. The assassin herself was on the defensive. Alfred would be too if he was facing a six hundred pound beast.

Then he saw Matthew. Good ol' Matthew with his trusty spear was riding on Kumajiro, probably giving the assassin the death glare of the century. Wait, is that _blood?_

Alfred rubbed his eyes and squinted. He knew for a fact that Kumajiro was a _pure white_ bear. _So why the hell is there a dark stripe going down his middle? Did he hurt himself during the fall? _The main reason that the assassin was unable to move forward in killing them was because they never left each other's side. They were always inseparable. Now…

The river beside him was deafening but it was nothing to the tense silence on the other side of the dam. Until Matthew screamed. The spear flew out of his hand. Alfred didn't see whether or not it hit the assassin. He didn't care because the scream that he heard was not a battle cry, but one of pain. Because Matthew fell from Kumajiro's back and became a motionless heap.

"_MATTIE!_" _No...no...he can't..._

That's when the assassin attacked. Even though the pounding of the river filled his ears, Alfred still heard Kumajiro's angry roar. He pushed down the rising panic from his gut—

_ Are those people down there?_

Sure enough, there were several carriages crossing the bridge not too far away from the dam. Trees kept them from seeing Matthew and the assassin. It looked like a several blue carriages with blue flags._ Could that be one of the Suits that I've been hearing about?_

Alfred slapped himself and glared at the scene directly below him. Kumajiro was crouched over Matthew's unmoving form. The assassin's blade glinted as she charged them.

"No!" Alfred cried. He won't let the assassin win. _Never._

He gripped the wooden trunks of the dam and heaved as hard as he could because his brother's life depended on it. He pulled and pulled until he felt the wood splintering. Within seconds, he flew backwards with one of the tree trunks still in his arms. The water came tumbling through the gap. An almighty groan echoed from the dam.

Then it fell.

"Kumajiro!" Alfred yelled. "You better know how to freaking swim!"

Still hanging on the tree trunk, Alfred jumped into the ice cold water. The icy water pulled the warmer air from his lungs. The log bobbed to the surface and Alfred gasped for air. Then came the fall. He caught a brief glance of Kumajiro somehow pulling Matthew onto his back before hitting the wall of water. The currents were strong and Alfred felt his lungs burn. The tree trunk that he had clung to in hopes of staying afloat with was torn away from his arms. Stings of the fresh cuts sang on his arms when he felt something pull on the back of his tunic.

Then his head broke through the surface. Alfred gasped for air but found it difficult with water splashing into his face. He twisted around and found himself face-to-face with Matthew's white bear.

"Where's Mattie?" Alfred managed to choke out.

Kumajiro grunted as his powerful legs stroked through the waters. Alfred was impressed that it could keep its head above the waters in those violent rapids. The white bear growled and Alfred found himself flipping through the air and landing painfully on something. Something that happened to his injured brother.

"Shit!" Alfred clambered off of Matthew as he groaned painfully.

A red stain was spreading from Matthew side. Alfred used his body to keep Matthew from sliding off the bear's back. With one hand gripping the white fur, Alfred pressed his other hand against his brother's wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding.

Alfred prayed to the Hand that Kumajiro would be able to get them out of this mess. He clung onto the bear for both his life and his brother's. After what felt like a lifetime, the violent surges and rocking gave way to a heavy trot then a thud. Alfred opened his eyes to see Kumajiro laying eagle-spread on the muddy bank of the river. He could feel the rise and fall of Kumajiro's panting.

But he didn't feel Matthew's.

He painfully rolled off Kumajiro's back, his muscles were still stiff from clutching onto the giant bear. "Mattie?"

"Al…" Matthew groaned. Glazed purple eyes found wide blue ones. "The…river…"

"It's okay," Alfred replied, forcing a smile. "I haven't seen the assassin. Kumajiro was great and—"

A loud cracking sound came from behind them. They were high enough to avoid the sweeping currents of the rapids but not far enough to see its terrible strength. Trees were being uprooted by the waters, turning the river into a cataclysm for anything that stood in its way.

Including the village.

_"Hiver gén_—" Matthew rasped before passing out.

"Mattie!" Alfred shook off his sodden cloak. He tore off the sleeve of his tunic and pressed the fabric against his brother's side. He untied the laces to his boots and tied around Matthew's torso. It was too cold to remove anymore clothing and see the full extent of the wound. Much colder than before. _Shit, Mattie, please be okay._

Alfred crawled towards Kumajiro's head, unable to use his exhausted legs. His mind was numb to the pain, especially since he just singlehandedly caused the doom of their village. "Good job, Kuma—"

Thoughts of possibly saving the village flew away when he saw the river. He didn't even know if he could still call it a river. The waters were _frozen._ The currents were beautifully sculpted into sinuous lines. He could see trees and rocks suspended into the clear blue ice. Cold mist wrapped around Alfred but his body didn't feel it. _How could a whole river freeze instantaneously? _

A deep groan rumbled up river. Alfred crawled closer to the ice and found that only a small section of the river was frozen. It was currently acting as a wall for the rest of the river. But it was temporary. Alfred could already see cracks forming in the ice. _What the hell can I do? I can barely get up so warning the villagers would be out of the question. It'll take weeks to create another dam. Shit, what do I do!?_

Something soft and cold nudged his shoulder. Alfred didn't hear Kumajiro pad towards him but that was definitely his nose. The bear nudged his shoulder again then grunted. Alfred painfully turned his head. Kumajiro shook his head then started to slump away, Matthew still unconscious on his back.

"I can't just do nothing!" Alfred rasped at the bear's behind. "Those villagers will be killed!"

Then Alfred found where the bear was heading. It wasn't slumping away from the river but _alongside_ it. Up ahead were several large boulders precariously perched on the edge of a small cliff—Alfred turned around—in the opposite direction was the village. _Can they see it? Do they know that the dam is gone?_

Alfred and Matthew were there when the ancestors of the current villagers first thought about taming that river. When the air turned warm, the simple river would turn deadly with the melting winter snows from the mountain feeding it. For centuries that dam stood and saved the village from a watery doom.

_Maybe they've all evacuated,_ Alfred thought. _But where would they go?_

Alfred let out a frustrated growl and scrambled after the bear. He caught up with it pretty quickly—it was moving slow from exhaustion and caution for its rider. Alfred trudged ahead. _Would these rocks even be enough to hold back the waters?_

By the time he reached the rocks, cracks had webbed over the majority of the ice. Alfred braced his aching shoulder against the boulder and pushed with the last of his strength. He kept pushing, ignoring the screaming complaints of his body, until the rocks gave way. They tumbled into the water and Alfred, having no more strength left, was about to fall as well if Kumajiro hadn't caught his tunic again.

Alfred collapsed on the ground and stared at his brother's unconscious face. The ice below cracked and a ripping noise tore through the air. But Alfred didn't hear it. He was too tired. Kumajiro laid down beside him, bringing Matthew closer to him. _Hand, please save my brother. I'm the idiot here, not Mattie._

"_Aiyah!_" A voice said somewhere far away. "Are you guys okay?"

"Nnnggg…" came Alfred's reply.

"You're hurt, aru!"

The last thing Alfred saw the blue emblem of the Spades.

* * *

"Al?"

Alfred grumbled and turned away. "M' sleepin', 'Attie."

"Al! Please wake up!"

"Ugh…why?"

"The river—"

The assassin. The river. The dam. The village. _Matthew._ Alfred bolted upright and grasped his brother's shoulders. Matthew shrieked in surprise. "Mattie—! We—you—!"

"Ow! Al, let go!" Matthew hissed. Alfred did and Matthew awarded him with a smile.

"Are you okay? You were bleeding. Then you passed out and—and—"

"We're okay for now. They helped us and—"

"They?" Alfred asked, looking around. They were inside a blue tent with small gold patterns. He was sitting on top of several thick and plush blankets of every shade of purple and blue. He was currently dressed in a soft yet warm robe of the same color scheme and brown trousers. They were finely made and much more extravagant than anything Alfred has ever worn. What surprised Alfred the most was the incredible warmth of the tent, especially since he couldn't see a fire anywhere. Light seemed to glow from the walls themselves. "That's right! Someone found us right before I passed out. Who are they? Are they dangerous—?"

Matthew held up a hand and his brother shut up. "If they were, you and I would be much more uncomfortable than we are now." Matthew waited a moment for Alfred to calm down. "These people are part of the Suit's convoy."

Alfred remembered the blue flags. "Spades?"

Matthew nodded. "I'm not sure what they're doing here though. One of the guards explained that they'll answer our questions if we answer theirs once you wake up."

The elder of the two stayed quiet for a while, letting the situation sink in. "The river… it just froze…" Alfred mumbled, not quite understanding what had happened or how to explain it. He hasn't seen the assassin either."Then the boulders…"

Matthew placed a hand on his brother shoulder. "I heard that from them too. Why don't you change so we can meet up with the person in charge of the convoy?"

Alfred nodded and stiffly got dressed. Matthew himself was wearing a new brown tunic and didn't seem to be in pain. He didn't want to ask him about his injury just yet. "How long was I out for?" He asked instead, draping his fur cloak over his shoulders.

"About an hour or two after I woke up. It's night now, so maybe around six or eight hours," Matthew replied, leading the way outside the tent.

The cold bite of the icy wind sent shivers down his body despite the furs he was wearing. Icy wind invaded his lungs, making him cough. He glared at his brother who didn't even have his cloak on. "It's c-c-cold out h-h-here! H-how the h-hell c-can you w-walk around l-like that?"

"I suppose winter came early this year, eh?" Matthew replied with a smile.

Alfred grumbled to himself and rubbed his arms to keep whatever warmth he had left. Every year, he would complain about the cold and every year Matthew hardly noticed the sudden frost and ice. _It became cold really quickly. Did it have anything to do with the sudden ice wall at the river? _Alfred warily watched the back of his brother's head. _What was it that he said before he passed out? _Hiver_-something?_ Alfred certainly did not know what that meant.

They walked through what look like a large campsite. Most of the tents were normal colors such as beige or green. Only a couple, like the one they left earlier, was a shade of blue. Lanterns and campfires were the only sources of light around the camp. Thick-furred horses were sleeping in a nearby stable as they were groomed. There were several people outside covered in even more blue. Most were wrapped around in gray cloaks and huddled around a fire. A handful strange ones were like Matthew and were able to walk around comfortably in just their tunics and trousers. Smells of food floated towards Alfred, making him curse his stomach.

"W-where are w-we g-going, M-mattie?"

Matthew pointed towards a tent much bigger than the rest and, of course, blue. "This way—"

"Looks like you two are awake!"

The twins turned to see two men approaching them. Only one of them was wearing a cloak and was shivering as miserably as Alfred. The other was a man with brown eyes and hair that has two odd curls atop his head. "The two of ya got dragged back half dead. 'M surprised you two are able to walk around. Especially you," he exclaimed, pointing at Matthew.

"J-jett," the other man said, "t-that's n-not a v-very nice thing to s-say." The man with the cloak turned to the brothers. He was the shorter of the two with fair hair that seemed to swirl behind his ear. "I'm-m Malcolm a-and t-this is J-jett. Y-you'll have to excuse m-my brother. H-he can be a b-bit brash and r-reckless s-sometimes.

"I know what you mean," Matthew sighed. Alfred gave him a quizzical look.

"N-name's Al-alfred. Th-this is M-mattie."

"Matthew," his twin corrected with a smile. "Who is that?"

The other three men turned to where Matthew was pointing. There was a fluffy white sheep with curling horns trotting towards Malcolm. It nudged his knee and hid inside his large cloak. "T-this is Hipi. H-he likes-s t-to f-follow me ar-around."

"T-that r-reminds me, w-where's K-kumaj-jiro, Mat-mattie?"

Matthew shrugged. Alfred wasn't surprised. The bear came and went as it please. The brothers had followed the white bear once only to find it sleep in a cave for months at a time. Apparently, if it wasn't following Matthew around or looking for food, it would be hibernating. From Matthew's casual answer, it was safe to assume that the bear was fine.

"Well, the boss is waiting for ya in there," Jett said nodding towards the large blue tent then lowered his head. The twins leaned closer to hear his whisper. "He may not seem like much but don't underestimate the man."

"W-why?" Alfred asked, teeth chattering. "W-who is h-he?"

Jett let out a laugh. "Well, if ya don't know by now, ya'll will find out soon enough. C'mon Mal-mal!"

"D-dont call me t-that!" Malcolm whined and sniffled then followed after his brother.

"Lively bunch aren't they?" Matthew chuckled then turned towards their destination. Alfred would have replied if he wasn't so cold.

There were two guards flanking either side of the tent's entrance. Both had drawn swords and wore thick leather armour with the Spades emblem stitched over the heart. Looking around, Alfred found even more guards wandering about. _With so many guards around, there must Suit members here, not just nobles._

A familiar growl came from inside followed by a surprised, "_Aiyah!_"

"Kumajiro!" Matthew exclaimed and bolted inside.

Alfred followed stiffly after him. Inside, he almost cried in relief. Like the previous tent, it was warm even without a fire. Like the previous tent, light emanated from the walls, though he wasn't sure how. There was a table near the back with important looking papers. Beside it was a rack of weapons ranging from spears, swords and bows. A blue tapestry with purple designs and the golden Spades coat-of-arms dominated Alfred's attention. As luxurious as the tent was, he assumed that the King himself must be here. There was, however, a strange but subtle scent that he couldn't figure out.

"How is he?" Alfred heard Matthew whisper.

Kumajiro was laying down on his stomach. The last time Alfred saw the bear; it was panting and covered in his brother's blood. Alfred cringed at the thought and pushed it away. He made his way over to where Matthew and another man was sitting beside the bear. The other man was quite small with dark hair tied to a pony tail. He was wearing rich blue robes whose sleeves fell past his hands. He wore white trousers and black slippers. Either he was as indifferent to the cold as Matthew or he didn't step out of the tent much.

Matthew held Kumajiro's head on his lap while listening to other man talk with a very familiar voice. "He will be fine, aru. He received minor injuries but nothing serious like yours."

"Serious?" Alfred asked, his teeth no longer chattering.

"You was be Matthew's brother, aru," the man said rising to his feet. He barely reached Alfred's shoulders. "My name is Yao Wang," he introduced then bowed slightly, never taking his curved eyes off of Alfred.

Unsure of what else to do, Alfred mimicked the bow and said, "Mine is Alfred F. Jones. Nice to meet you."

"Aru? Your last name is Jones? Matthew said it was Williams!"

Alfred stood straight and shared a smile with his brother. They often received similar reactions to those they introduced themselves to. "As thankful as I am to you for rescuing us, I don't quite trust you enough to reveal such personal stories."

"Al," Matthew scolded.

Yao smiled. "I understand. There is no need to explain. But would it be okay to ask you questions?"

"Not if I can ask too," Alfred returned. He recognized the glint in the shorter man's eyes. He wanted something and he believes either Alfred or Matthew had it. Alfred refused to let his kind and impressive hospitality to let his guard down.

"_Aiyah_, of course it would be okay. Though there will be some questions I won't answer for my own reasons, aru."

"Same here," Alfred grunted and sat on the ground facing him. Matthew gave his brother a wary look but said nothing. Yao motioned for him to ask first. He had a lot of questions. Where was the assassin? Did the the boulders hold the river or not? Is the village still standing? Instead, he asked what was the most important to him. "What injuries were you talking about? Is Mattie gonna be okay?"

Yao's eyes widened in surprise then let out a laugh. "I expected you to ask who I was first, aru."

"That was my next question," Alfred lied, not okay with being laughed at. Sure Alfred wanted to know who he was, but he had other priorities.

"I meant nothing by it, Mr. Jones," Yao said, holding up a sleeve-covered hand. "It was just not what I expected, aru. Mr. Williams had a particularly deep gash on his side—" As soon as Yao mentioned a 'deep gash' Alfred bolted to his brother's side. His mind kept replaying his brother's unmoving body perched on Kumajiro's back, his blood turning the bear's white fur into red.

"Al! What are you—" Matthew cried.

"Sit still and let me see—"

"I'm okay—"

"Okay my ass! I saw you bleeding—"

"Yao patched me up, I'm fine—"

"Lift your shirt!"

"No! Get off me!"

"MATTIE!"

Matthew, having known Alfred for his whole life, gave up in fighting him and allowed him to look under his tunic. It was pointless since the gash was covered by bandages. "Does it hurt?" Alfred whispered.

Matthew knew Alfred has a tendency to get protective, especially over him. He really did appreciate having him as his brother but he would never say it—not when Alfred's ego could cover several mountains. "I already said I was fine," he replied softly, taking his brother's hand.

Alfred gave one last uncertain look at the bandages then pulled the shirt down. He grabbed Matthew into a hug, surprising him. He held onto him until he returned the embrace ignoring the sting in his eyes. "I'm okay," Matthew said softly. "Really."

Alfred nodded, let him go then turned back to Yao. The Spades man had a soft look in his eyes and small smile on his face. Alfred's face flamed red. He completely forgot that he was there.

"You're a sweet brother, aru," he remarked without the condescending tone Alfred expected. "Now, my question; would you like some tea?"

"What?" Alfred blurted. That certainly wasn't the question he was expecting. A nagging thought in his mind told him he should be treating this man with respect and the best of his manners but he just escaped death by assassin and river. Manners be damned.

"Tea?" Yao repeated with a disarming smile. Apparently he liked to return the favor of asking unexpected first questions.

"Um, sure," Alfred mumbled, looking around for the kettle. There was no fire. Nor kettle. "Where—"

Yao smiled then waved a hand. Alfred felt a small tingling in the air then a tray with tree steamy cups of tea suddenly appeared between him and his brothers. Both Matthew and Alfred flinched in surprise—the latter showing more reaction afterwards. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Magic," Yao replied as if it was the simplest answer. "I believe it's my turn to ask, aru. How old are you? And you?" he asked pointing at Alfred first then Matthew.

Alfred grumbled to himself something about an off-guard question should be counted before replying, "We're twins. We are both seven hundred and twenty-nine years old."

Yao, who was in the middle of sipping his tea, started to cough. "_Aiyah!_ You look like you're nineteen though!"

Despite his surprised tone, Alfred suspected that the man knew something that he didn't. Something that involved him. "No, we've seen too many people crawl on all four, stand with two and limp with three before laying down to rest," Matthew answered softly.

Yao put his tea down and nodded as if he understood. Alfred wondered just who this man was and wanted to ask him but something more important came first. "I didn't exactly see how bad Mattie's wound was, but from what I _did_ see, he shouldn't be able to sit, much less walk. How is that possible?"

"Very perceptive, aru," Yao said with a smile and set his tea down. "I healed him using magic." Alfred opened his mouth to whine about how that wasn't a good enough answer when Yao asked his own question. "How about I tell you what happened after I found you before we continue?"

Surprised by proposal but grateful, Alfred nodded.

"Very well, aru" Yao started as Alfred decided to give this tea a try—Matthew was already enjoying his warm cup. "I wandered away from my convoy when the giant wall of ice suddenly appeared. I ran towards the river and that was when I first saw the two of you and the white bear. By the time I had caught up with you, you had passed out. I ended having to carry you three back—"

"Wait," Alfred said, choking on his tea—not only had Yao said something surprising, but Alfred had always hated tea. "_You _carried us back?"

Yao nodded.

"By yourself?"

Yao nodded again.

"You?"

And again.

"Really?"

And again.

"How? Wait, let me guess. Magic?"

Yao smiled mysteriously.

_That damn smile of his is beginning to get irritating. _Alfred refused to believe that this man, who barely came up to his shoulders, could carry him and Matthew. _Wait, three?_ Alfred glanced at the now snoozing Kumajiro then quickly shot it down as impossible. Right? Alfred motioned for him to continue as he stealthily handed his tea to Matthew.

Yao filled his cup again, hands still covered by the sleeves, then began again. "You were relatively okay, aru. But Matthew had lost a lot of blood. He would have lost a lot more if you hadn't stopped the bleeding. That was you, right?"

Alfred nodded. "And the river? What happened to it and the village below?"

"Before I answer that, aru," Yao said. Alfred held back an annoyed complain. His voice grew serious—the twins instinctively responded by tensing their shoulders and legs, "what exactly was your plan, Alfred?"

"I, uh, actually it wasn't my plan. It was Kumajiro's." If Yao was surprised, he didn't say anything, but his brown eyes never left Alfred's blue ones. "Kumajiro pointed at the rocks and they looked strong enough to be a temporary dam until another one could be built."

"The rocks would have to—"

Alfred's patience snapped. "_Is the freaking village standing or not?_" He roared, jumping to his feet.

"Yes," Yao replied with practiced calm. "The village still stands but your boulder dam failed to do so."

Yes, Alfred was relieved that the village wasn't destroyed but Yao's tone in the last part made him wary. "Then how…?"

The twins waited for him to finish his tea—Matthew was fidgeting with two empty cups and kept eyeing the tea pot. Alfred sighed and asked Yao for more. Matthew was not antisocial nor does he dislike people—he was just quiet. It worked well since Alfred will usually talk nonstop in social situation.

"The boulders only held the river temporarily, aru," Yao replied, filling the two empty cups. "The river pushed through after an hour."

Alfred flinched. Even though he knew that the village was safe, it still terrified him to think of his home being in danger.

"What stopped the water from wiping out the village?" Matthew asked.

Yao jumped, almost dropping the kettle. "_Aiyah!_ Forgive me, aru, I—uh, have forgotten you were here."

"It's okay," Matthew said softly. It might be okay with him but Alfred was peeved that Yao didn't notice brother beside him. _He was right there the whole time!_

"Well, the boulders are still there—"

"But you said—"

"_Aiyah!_ Alfred, will you let me finish?" Yao snapped. Alfred clamped his mouth shut but not after growling softly. "Good. The boulders are still there, aru. I have placed a spell that will leave them standing for as long as the trees beside the river."

"Thank you," the twins said at the same time. Alfred didn't know much about magic but somehow trusted Yao enough to know that he was telling the truth about it.

"You're going to have to explain this magic thing to me," Alfred grumbled. He was grateful that the village had been safe, but the most magic Alfred had seen in his seven centuries of life was from a man who tried to give him a pet unicorn. "Who are you by the way?"

"Yao Wang, the Royal Jack of Spades."

Matthew spit his tea out. "T-the Jack?"

Yao stared at the twins, brown eyes wide and playful. "Are you really that surprised, aru?"

Alfred felt his stomach drop. _When did it suddenly get so warm?_ He and his twin don't necessarily get involved in the dealings of the Suits or nobles. The two of them live far enough from the workings of Deck that their near-nonexistent knowledge of the ruling class didn't matter in their lives. Sure they've heard about them from rumors that usually spread around the village, but Alfred always shrugged it off as none-of-his-business nonsense.

"Eh, I suppose so," Matthew replied nervously, inspecting the tent they were sitting in. "We just, uh, never—"

"You're the Jack!" Alfred exclaimed then frowned. _Maybe I should have been nicer_—

"Excuse my brother's lack of manners," Matthew said nervously. _Gee, thanks Mattie._

Yao let out a laugh. "Don't worry about it. It's nice to be treated like normal person after so many years."

"What business brings a Suit in this area?" Matthew asked, now taking the conversation from the still baffled Alfred. Suits were the highest power in the lands, chosen by the Hand itself. As the Jack, Yao had the third greatest authority in all of the Spades Kingdom. Which was several miles away…

"I was looking for something…" Yao started but trailed off, regarding the blonde twins sitting in front of him. "But I'm quite positive that I've found it."

"Found what?" Alfred blurted out. The poor boy was barely able to keep up with the conversation. _A Jack! The Jack of Spades! I've heard stories that he was the oldest of all the Suits._

Matthew rolled his eyes affectionately. "What exactly have you found?" He asked cautiously.

Alfred perked up at his brother's sudden serious tone. He glanced at the shorter man who was studying them intently. He may be an utter failure in reading the atmosphere but he certainly knows when people are expecting something from him—he was a hero after all. But the look that Yao was giving both him and his brother was certainly making him uncomfortable.

Yao pulled his sleeves back and produced a deck of cards from his sleeves then shuffled them skillfully. He drew a card and showed the face to the twins. It was an intricately drawn King of Spades. "Does anything on this seem familiar to you?"

"It's a king," Alfred said . _It's just a card._

Matthew shook his head in answer.

The Jack of Spades looked surprised. "Are you sure? Nothing about this card looks familiar? You've never seen it anywhere?"

The twins shook their head.

Yao's shoulders slumped. "I was so sure…"

Alfred took the card from him as the Jack continued to mutter to himself. Matthew leaned over to study the card better.

"What are you doing, aru?" Yao snapped at the twins.

Both of them narrowed their eyes as if the card was as bright as the sun. Then Alfred began turning it this way and that. "Trying to see it clearly."

"Huh?"

"It's very blurry," Matthew offered as an explanation.

"_Aiyah!_" Yao quickly snatched the card back up and brought to his lips as he muttered something.

"What's his problem?" Alfred mumbled to his brother. Matthew shrugged in reply. The two of them watched as Yao waved the card around. Then it began to glow. Bluish light encased the card and grew bigger. It grew until it was the same size as the tray that Yao summoned the tea with.

"You should get your eyes checked," Yao said as he handed them the enlarged card. "Now does anything seem familiar to you?"

Alfred warily took the card. It was the same except that it was bigger and they could see the details better. Alfred frowned. "Not really."

Matthew gasped softly beside him.

Yao turned to him. "Mr. Williams?"

"If we have, what is it supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?"

"Al, look at it closely," Matthew said, ignoring the Jack's question since he already knew the answer but couldn't believe it.

"What? I've never seen a card like that before. I mean, I know which card it is but the ones back home are pieces of crap compared to—"

"No, you blockhead! Look at the Numeral!"

Alfred narrowed his eyes. It was a very intricate 'K' inked into a Spades design. A memory tickled his mind. "It does seem familiar…"

"Well it should!" Matthew cried. "It's on your body! The symbol of the King of Spades is on your chest!" He grabbed Alfred's tunic and and yanked at the knot keeping the wide collar closed. The tunic opened exposing his chest. There, on his left pectoral and right under his collar bone, was the exactly same Numeral that was inked on the card he was holding.

Yao stood and _smiled?_ Alfred, wary of what the man intended, scooted to put himself between him and Matthew. Yao chuckled softly then bowed before them. "At last, you have been found. It is the utmost honor to be in your presence, Alfred F. Jones, the Almighty King of Spades."

* * *

**Yeah, this came out longer than I expected. This is my first Hetalia fic so feel free to rip apart (with criticisms). I'm particularly worried about Alfred's character and whether or not it seems right. What do you guys think?**

**Jett/Australia**

**Malcolm/New Zealand**

**This is not just a USUK story. Next chapter will have Italy and Germany in the Hearts Kingdom. Review:)**


	3. Two or More Messages

**BTW, all fifty-two cards in the deck have a country assigned to them in this story. In this chapter, we meet all thirteen of the Hearts. Country/human names are listed at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

**Two or More Messages**

Feliciano Vargas became the Jack of Hearts several centuries ago. It was quite a story actually. Feliciano had been hiding in a wooden box from his older brother, Lovino, because he didn't want to do the dishes. He thought no one would find him in a box in the middle of a small thicket. Imagine his surprise when someone _did_ open his box. And not just any someone, the Authoritative King of Hearts himself.

"My lord Jack—"

"Hey dumbass!"

Feliciano turned around, flashing his ever-present smile. "Ve~? What is it, brother?"

Lovino pushed past the human servant calling Feliciano. The Jack flashed the servant a smile and sent him on his way just as Lovino caught up with him. "Where the hell do you think you're going, _idiota_?"

"Painting in the garden! There are so many colors out there with all the different flowers Antonio planted—"

"Like hell you are! Didn't that potato bastard tell you about the meeting?"

"Ve~?" Feliciano tilted his head and tried to remember if there was a meeting that day. That is, until Lovino, red faced and fuming, whacked him in the head.

"C'mon. Every time you don't show your stupid face, they make me come get your sorry ass," Lovino growled and dragged his younger brother with him.

Feliciano grinned happily and Lovino grumbled. For as long as he could remember, Lovino had always been quite a grump. He had no idea why since they had grown up together. Yes, there were several centuries when they were separated, but even before that, Lovino's attitude had stayed the same.

He let his older brother drag him as his amber eyes wandered around the hall. He has been living the Hearts castle ever since the King brought him there. Even now, he was still amazed at it's architecture and design. Thick marble pillars of pure white with red and gold trimmings reached to the high domed ceilings. Large windows intervaled with scarlet tapestries of the Hearts' history on the great walls of the hallway.

It was a beautiful day outside. Feliciano mourned the chance he missed to paint the pretty girls that usually tend to the gardens with the sunlight so perfect. Lovino turned sharply to the left. "Ve~" Feliciano said sadly now that there weren't any windows for him to gaze out to.

"...you listening to me? _Veneziano_!"

"Wh-what is it, _Romano_?" Feliciano responded after a moment. 'Veneziano' and 'Romano' were middle names given to them by their grandfather after their mother gave them their first names. Only they called each other that even if occasionally. Feliciano usually called him 'brother' while said brother usually calls him something vulgar.

Lovino grumbled to himself then let his younger brother's hand go. "Don't get too close to that bastard."

"Ve~? Who are you talking about?" They stopped in front of the conference room where the meeting was supposed to be.

"You know exactly who the hell I'm talking about!"

Before the Jack could answer, the oak doors to the conference room swung open.

"Feli! Lovi!" A voice said cheerfully as arms pulled the brothers into a warm embrace.

"Get. Off. Me!" Lovino yelled while Feliciano returned the hug. "_Toni_!"

Antonio laughed and let them both go. He was a head taller than them and had darker skin. He had chocolate brown hair that was slightly curly and deep green eyes. "Where have you two been? You're the last ones here. Eh, Lovi your face looks like a tomato!"

Red-faced and definitely looking like a tomato, Lovino started swearing.

"Ve~ what time was the meeting supposed to start, big brother Toni?"

"In about a couple—"

"Ten Carriedo, have Jack Vargas and Ace Vargas arrived?" asked a voice that Feliciano identified as the King.

"—seconds," Antonio whispered then whirled around to face the room. "Yes, the Jack and Ace have just arrived."

"We're right here, Luddy~" Feliciano chirped and skipped into the room. He looked around and found all the other Suit members, Ace to Ten, seated around the giant O-shaped table. In the middle of the circle was usually where the speaker would present whatever speech he or she prepared. At a raised platform at the back of the room sat King Ludwig Beilschmidt and Queen Kiku Honda to his left. To the right of the King was an empty seat that Feliciano plopped down on. "Wow, everyone is here already! Are we late?"

"No," Ludwig sighed. "You just made it. We are about to begin." The King nodded towards the woman standing in the middle of the room. The woman started as Lovino and Antonio took their seats.

As the woman, dressed in a fancy red and pink gown expensive enough to buy a small house in the outer districts, droned on about her report on the status of the markets, Feliciano observed his fellow Suits. Those seated in the circular table were in order of rank. Ten of Hearts, Antonio Carriedo, sat in front of the Royals. Beside him was the Ace of Hearts, Lovino Vargas, who was also positioned in front of Feliciano.

"… the Eastern markets are the best in shape for now…"

Beside Lovino was the two sisters, the Two and Three of Hearts, Lin Yi Ling and Mei Ling respectively. They both had silky brown hair and bright brown eyes. Mei was the older of the two but Lin Yi is the more social of the them. Feliciano often accompanied them to the outer villages. He enjoyed their feminine company as an escape from the testosterone of the other Suits.

"… trade has become quite the hassle with rise of a group calling themselves the Clockwork Hammer…"

The Four and Five of Hearts, Jorge Esteves and Carlos Machado respectively, had bored looks on their faces. Feliciano couldn't blame them. After especially boring meetings, they would usually go to the kitchen to cook, and complain, the boredom away. Jorge looked a lot like Antonio except that he wasn't as tall and had longer hair. He also had brown eyes and a bit of a beard that he refuses to trim. Carlos was big yet stout man with dark hair, eyes and skin. Feliciano likes him because he likes to give out ice cream.

"…not to mention relations with the other countries are shaky with all the turmoil…"

The Six of Hearts was Anouk Carriedo, Antonio's cousin. She was a sweet lady with short blonde hair and the bright green eyes that the Carriedos seem to have. Though Feliciano doesn't know her as well as the other members of the Suit, he knows that she often dotes over Lovino who doesn't seem to hate her as much as he does the other Suits. Both she and the Seven of Hearts, Xever Karpusi—a studious man with deep green eyes and brown hair with a long side bang—had older brothers in the Suit.

"…however, is we specialize our trading relations with other kingdoms…"

Their older brothers were the Eight and Nine of Hearts, Willem Carriedo and Heracles Karpusi respectively. Willem was a tall man with spiky blonde hair and the Carriedo green eyes. Heracles was a big muscular man with similar features as his younger brother except that he has two side bangs. And he has as major love for cats. Heracles was probably one of the few people that Feliciano will entrust with the care of Gino, his beloved tabby.

Looking around, Feliciano smiled at the motifs of reds and pinks and purples of their outfits. It was traditional to wear such colors. It was the national color of the Hearts after all. The Jack snapped up when the other Suits stood up. He almost stood up himself but Ludwig grabbed his arm gently, reminding him that he was a Jack ands as the third highest power in all of Hearts, he didn't need to stand as the woman made her leave.

As soon as the woman was gone, the Suits plopped back down on their seats—their long years together really has thrown all sorts of formalities for each other out the window. Even King Ludwig let out a relieved sigh. He was big and muscular man like Nine Heracles. He had slicked back blonde hair and serious sky blue eyes. Feliciano knew that the was the Lord General of the Hearts' military before the Insignia appeared marking him as the King.

The Suits are born with their abilities of longevity, affiliation to magic, and the natural instinct to lead and care for others. But the Insignia, the symbol which the Hand bestows on those worthy to be of Suits, only appears when the Suit is needed to join the Royal Court. The Numbered Suits are able to earn their rank through their service of the Royals and the people of their Kingdom. When the Lettered Suits—King, Queen, Jack, and Ace—are chosen, their rank is final. All decisions are bestowed upon by the Hand and cannot be changed by either human or Suit.

As Queen Kiku Honda, a calm and short man with short black hair and intelligent brown eyes, called the Suits attention, Feliciano remembered back when the Insignia appeared on his back. It was only a couple years before Ludwig found him. He and his brother were cooking pasta in their home when he felt scorching heat sear down his back. He remembered dropping the pot and clawing on his back. He remembered Lovino falling to the ground as well, gripping the back of his shoulder. When they both woke up, an intricate 'J' was tattooed between Feliciano's shoulder blades and an 'A' on the back of Lovino's shoulder.

"The civilians have now made their reports," Kiku announced. The Suits were still standing as their Queen spoke. "Now, the Suits will make any reports of importance in the past month. Is there anyone who would like to begin?"

"I would, your Highness," said Nine Karpusi. He bowed to the Queen and stood at the center of the table when motioned to do so by Ludwig. The other Suits took their seats as Heracles began. "We have found something of interest in the mines of our province…"

Feliciano found himself nodding off as Heracles went through the formalities. He leaned his head on Ludwig's shoulder. The King tensed for a moment but did nothing to shake him off. Then Feliciano began to dream…

* * *

"Ve?" Feliciano looked around. He knew he was dreaming but something felt….off…

Everything was murky and dark, like a black fog had settled in this featureless world. He was still wearing the same thing as he was when he was awake—a long white tunic, purplish trousers and boots, and a red overcoat with puffy shoulders. A maroon beret was perched on his head with the Hearts crest on the side. His previous dreams were usually something colorful like his paintings or happy like when his grandfather was still alive.

Feliciano frowned at the memory and took a step forward. As soon as he did, the murkiness cleared and an achingly familiar scene opened up before him. There was a small stone bridge leading to a peaceful-looking village. A small stream sang from under the bridge as rays of the sun glided between the young trees lining the the sides of the water. Feliciano could even feel the slight chill of the season as he did when this memory took place centuries ago.

"Draw a circle, it's the Earth~"

Feliciano turned at the voice of a girl skipping towards the bridge.

"Draw a circle, it's the Earth~"

The Jack chuckled to himself. He remembered when he looked like that—dressed in a maid's outfit and skipping around with a basket in his hands. His voice was still much too high to be identified as male which was why his master gave him a female's outfit. Of course he didn't know this at the time. He had just accepted the outfit because he didn't honestly care. That and it was quite comfortable. _So this is a memory? I can't believe how small I was!_ His younger self only came up to chest and Feliciano wasn't that big of a man.

"Draw a circle, it's the Ear—"

"Feli!"

"Ve?"

Both the younger and older Feliciano turned to see a beautiful woman in a similar maid's outfit. She had pale green eyes and light brown hair with a pink flower on her ear. "Miss Hedervary! I was just on my way to the store to get more tomatoes and pasta! Would like for me to get you anything? I think the florist received a new shipment yesterday! Would you like more flowers?" Feliciano's younger self asked excitedly.

Elizabeth Hedervary, Master Roderich Edelstein's fiancé at the time, graced them with smile and beckoned the younger Feliciano closer. "Here, Feli," she handed him more money, "you're running low on paints, aren't you?"

"Ve~? How did you know?"

Elizabeth smiled. "I love your paintings! Don't you notice me watch you paint? You have quite talent. Now," Elizabeth took the younger Feliciano's hand and wrapped his fingers around the coins, "go buy some more paints and brushes so you can create more art okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Feliciano watched himself salute the lady then skipped down to the bridge, his orange-brown hair bouncing.

Not knowing what else to do, he followed his younger self. He had made this trip to the market hundreds of time. Add on the fact that he was currently two-thousand and five hundred twenty six, and this memory was probably over a thousand years ago.

Feliciano racked his brain. _Which memory is this?Everything is too familiar!_

A gust of wind snapped him out of his thoughts. "Oh no!" his younger self cried. Two pairs of amber eyes watched sullenly as the basket flew out of the younger Feliciano's hands and into the stream.

_Ve! This is familiar too! I lost so many baskets that Mr. Edelstein practically tied the future baskets to my hand. Ve, which memory is this? Why can't I remember?_

Feliciano watched the younger gather his skirts and run to the end of the bridge. He followed him until they reached the water.

"Ve~ the water's too cold!" The younger whined.

_If this is a memory, I wonder if I can…_

"Hey," Feliciano said, surprised how different his voice was with his younger self.

The other Feliciano didn't seem to hear or notice the elder. In fact, he probably thought he was all alone in retrieving the basket. "_Grazie a Mano_, it stopped."

Sure enough, the basket was caught on a rock and didn't look as if it would be floating away any time soon. _Now this is something different._ Feliciano remembers losing a lot of baskets before he even had a chance to take them back. _When was this!?_

Feliciano was grumbling to himself as the younger hastily looked around for anything that could possibly help get the basket back. The younger ran to the closest possible spot on the banks to the basket. Unfortunately, there was still a significant amount of water between him and the basket.

"Maybe a broom…?" The younger wondered out loud. Both younger and older shook their heads at the idea. They would need an impossibly long broom. _This dream is different…maybe there's a reason why…._

Both of them shifted uncomfortably. Their shoes were slowly sinking in the mud. The wind that had tore the basket from the younger had died down to a breeze. It wasn't hurting anyone now but it would be showing its teeth to anyone covered in water.

_If this is a dream, then why can I feel the wind and the mud? Ve, I need to ask Kiku about this! _As much as he wanted to wake up, there was something inside him telling him to stay. That this memory was important. That he needed to remember this moment over the other memories of his two-millennia life.

"Ve~! Mr. Edelstein will be angry!" The younger cried as he reached for a branch. The elder knew the branch would make no difference—it was much too short—but the younger was getting desperate. Feliciano remembered how scary Roderich's temper could get.

The younger teetered with the weight of a fallen branch he found on the mud. His apron and skirts were covered in dirt. The dirt will be overlooked _if _he returns with the basket. Something urgent flashed through Feliciano's memory.

"_Aspetta!_" Feliciano yelled.

But the younger couldn't see or hear him. He stepped forward but the combined weight of the tree branch and him was too much for the mud. Feliciano tried to grab his younger self but his hand simply phased through his shoulder. The younger shrieked when he landed in the water.

…_so cold…why….?_

Feliciano clutched his head. A memory was pounding in his mind but refused to show itself. It was as if a wall of the strongest stone separated it from Feliciano. The younger flailed in the water. His skirts were weighing him down. Feliciano watched in horror as his younger self disappeared

…_can't…breathe…_

_Are these my thoughts?_

…_can't…._

_Or his?_

…_breathe…_

_I can't help him._

…_Am I going to die…?_

_NO!_

A loud splash snapped the older version out of his despair. A black cloak fell beside Feliciano as a figure disappeared into the water with his past self. Within seconds, two heads broke through the surface—one was the younger Feliciano, the other was a blonde one.

Feliciano's heart cringed. _I know who that is…_

"Hey, are you okay?" The blonde gasped.

The boy in his arms groaned a response. The blonde grunted and, with a surprising amount of strength, pulled them back where to the older was kneeled on the bank. The blonde boy carried the young Feliciano, bridal style, back to the bridge. He then ran back down, grabbed his cloak, ran back up and wrapped it around the shivering boy. _Who ..? Why can't I remember?_

"It's okay," the blonde soothed as the older Feliciano trudged back up to where they were.

The blonde boy was a bit taller than the Feliciano from the past but didn't look any older than seventeen. He held the him against his chest as the boy shivered. "I've seen you before."

"Y-you h-have?" Feliciano whimpered out, his girlish voice scratchy..

_I know him…_

"Yes," the blonde answered.. "You work for Roderich Edelstein, don't you?"

Feliciano nodded against the blonde's chest. The blonde wrapped his cloak around him tighter then stood up. "I'll be right back."

"W-wait…"

The blonde boy turned directly towards the older Feliciano. He froze as the blonde approached him then went through him. Feliciano felt something warm then cold pass through him. The two-thousand-year-old dropped to his knees and clutched his chest.

_Why can't I remember him?_

Another loud splash caught his attention. Looking around, he didn't see the blonde boy anywhere. Then splashes appeared. _Where is he…?_ The splashes stopped in front of the rock where the basket had taunted the younger Feliciano.

The blonde swam back effortlessly then sat down next to the younger Feliciano. "This is yours, right?"

"Y-you didn't h-have t-to d-do t-that. Ar-aren't you cold?" Feliciano asked.

"It's okay. It would have been a waste of a basket anyways. No, I'm not cold."

"T-thank-k y-you."

The blonde nodded. "Autumn is coming along with its chill, we should get you home." He hoisted Feliciano's younger self easily in his arms. The boy snuggled against the blonde's neck, seeking warmth. The Jack couldn't help but notice an unfamiliar shade of pink over the blonde's cheeks.

"N-no wait-t. I h-have t-to g-go to th-the m-mark-ket…"

"You can't be serious. You're soaking wet. You have to get warm before you get sick," the blonde said rather bluntly.

Both Felicianos smiled as the blonde turned even redder and fussed over him until they reach the Edelstein manor.

"Feli!" Elizabeth gasped when she opened the door to find Feliciano shivering in the blonde's arms. "What in Hand's name happened?"

"Well—" the blonde's words were cut off when Feliciano sneezed.

"That can wait, dear, let's get you warm." Elizabeth beckoned for them to come by the fire. She sent one of the servants to gather blankets and another to find her fiancé. She and the blonde stood outside the room to give Feliciano a chance to get out of his sodden dress.

The Jack watched himself get dressed. His younger self's back was clear of an Insignia. His hand unconsciously rubbed his back as the younger called Elizabeth and the blonde back into the room. The Lady of house continued to fuss over him while the blonde took a seat beside him.

"Thank you so much for saving me," Feliciano heard his past's girlish voice say. "You saved my life. How did you find me?"

The blonde blushed. "I was making my home when I saw you make your way down to the stream. I followed you because I became curious as to what you were doing. That was when I saw you go under."

"Ve~? Really? Wow, thank you so much! My name is Felicia—" the younger sneezed. Then again. And again.

"You really should be resting, Felicia," the blonde said, getting more blankets to cover him. The older shivered in his mud-stained clothes.

"That's not my n—" he sneezed again. "Ve~what's your name?"

The Jack felt himself pulling away, as if he was waking up. _Wait!_ He saw the blonde's mouth moving, giving his name to his younger self. But he couldn't hear it. He couldn't _remember_ it. He knew this boy. He knew this boy was important to him.

_So why can't I remember?_

* * *

"Feliciano."

Ludwig shook the man gently. He had no idea he was in such a deep sleep. Knowing Feliciano, him nodding off in a meeting was no surprise but for him to start dreaming? This was something new.

The King had thought that Feliciano would be interested in what Heracles had to tell them. Heracles had discovered glyphs from the ancient times. As an artist himself and a lover of art of any kind, Feliciano would have been excited to hear of it. But he was fast asleep.

"Feliciano." He shook him again. The Jack stirred and pressed his face into his shoulder.

Ludwig convinced himself that the heat spreading on his face was embarrassment because the whole Suit was watching and smiling as he tried to wake the Jack. He shook him a bit harder. "Jack Vargas, the meeting is over. You must wake."

"FELICIANO! WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO TO SLEEP? WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Feliciano sat up and blinked at his brother's loud voice. "Ve~?"

"YOU SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAMN MEETING YOU PIECE OF SH—"

"That's enough," Ludwig growled. He only tolerated Lovino's vehement behaviour, especially against his brother, for Feliciano's sake. He stood. The others followed Suit as Lovino clamped his mouth shut. "As Authoritative King of the Hearts, I, Ludwig Beilschmidt now declare this meeting—"

"Your majesty!" The doors to the conference hall burst open. A messenger was panting heavily and sweating pretty badly. The Suit collectively felt that the man's increased heart rate was not just from bursting into the room.

"King…Beilschmidt…" he panted. Ludwig patiently waited for the man to catch his breath. He as well as the other Suits, hoped that it was a minor thing. The meeting has gone on for several hours. The King himself was about to give them a break.

"The… dungeonmaster…"

"Are you okay?" Feliciano asked.

The messenger swallowed then remembered he was in the presence of the thirteen most powerful beings in the kingdom. He snapped straight up with impressive posture and addressed the Suit as a whole. "The dungeon master had been killed. The guards are currently investigating the scene and—"

"How long ago?" Ludwig asked.

"About fifteen minutes ago, your majesty."

"Has anyone escaped?" Kiku inquired.

"We are still searching all the cells, my Queen, but…" the messenger replied nervously.

"Spit it out," Lovino growled. For once, Ludwig was thankful for it because it got the man to talk.

"Forgive me, my King, but the Joker's cell is empty. I checked it myself as well as the Captain of the Guard. He is currently gathering a search party—"

"That will not be necessary," Ludwig declared. The man silenced himself as the Suits turned to their King. "A Joker on the loose is a threat to the Kingdom. As Suits, we must find and detain this Joker." The King turned to the messenger. "Tell the Captain of the Guard we will handle the search and investigation of the Joker. Have him continue his investigation of the dungeon master's murder and have him increase security in the castle and the city."

"Yes, my lord." The messenger disappeared behind the doors.

"King Beilschmidt," Willem said in his gruff voice, "the restriction of the Joker is one of the main reasons we have such a healthy relationship with the Spades."

"Yes, which makes this situation more urgent," Kiku said. He was familiar with Queen of Spades, Arthur Kirkland, and the Jack, Yao Wang. Ludwig completely trusts his opinion on matters involving them.

"Ten Carriedo, Ace Vargas and Seven Karpusi," Ludwig called in his this-is-an-order voice, "you will accompany me, the Queen and the Jack to the dungeons to inspect the Joker's cell. Eight Carriedo, you and Five Machado shall assist in the redistribution of troops within the castle and the capital. Nine Karpusi, I want you to continue your research on those glyphs. The rest of you, warn the generals of the Joker and have them mobilize in the provinces."

The Suits faced their Royals, placed their palms over their hearts then waved it before them in their kingdom's traditional salute of giving your heart. The Royals returned the salute and the Suits mobilized to follow Ludwigs orders.

Little is known about the Jokers. What was known about them is their chaotic nature and their insatiable need for mischief. _Forgive me, Arthur. I couldn't keep my promise._ Ludwig wondered how the Queen of Spades and the other Kirkland brothers would feel about their youngest disappearing. His heart cringed painfully. He knew _exactly_ how they would feel. His own brother was Joker after all.

The weather outside was mockingly peaceful. Ludwig could feel the routine of his people in his veins, the teetering stability of the markets at the back of his neck, and the restraint tension of the so-called Clockwork Hammer rebels somewhere in his gut. _I think it's time to send one of the Suits to look into this rebellion._

The kingdom wasn't at peace but it wasn't in turmoil. _Yet_. If the Joker creates a mass panic, Ludwig would know immediately. Only the King could become one with the nation. Other Suits can get an inkling on the status of the kingdom but only the King can get a full idea of what state the nation is in.

He led the way to the dungeons, ignoring the impeccable view the castle has over the capital. His brown boots clicked loudly on the marble floors. He was wearing maroon breeches, a light brown formal shirt. A red long cape with a furred collar was draped over his left shoulder, hiding the Royal Sword, _Innerste_, on his hip. His large red and gold crown bounced irritatingly on his head. Red tapestries and marble pillars blurred past as he and the five other Suits practically flew down to the dungeons. The white walls gave way to gray stone when they neared the dungeon.

A human soldier, one of the guards, saluted them with a palm over his heart then bowed. "Which would you see first, my lord?"

Ludwig could hear faint sobs behind the man. He pulled his knowledge as the nation. He learned that the dungeonmaster had a family—a currently pregnant wife, a son working his up the ranks of the military and twin girls about to start their second year of school. He ground his teeth then sighed. "That is his son in there, isn't it?"

The guard swayed in surprise and lowered his eyes. "Yes, sire. He was one of the guards making rounds in the dungeons when his father was killed. He refused to leave and, uhm, none of us has the heart to force him."

The King nodded. He looked towards the other Suits. They had all suffered through hardships in their long lives—Antonio was a former pirate, Kiku was born into a war, Ludwig himself have seen countless wars. Yet this death had shaken the foundations of their peaceful thoughts. For over a century now, the Hearts have been at relative peace. Ludwig fought down the feeling that this wasn't the only death they would be seeing.

Feliciano sniffed beside him. He glanced at the Jack and the Ace. Both of them were the newest members of the Suit and were clearly unused to this. As much as he hated seeing Feliciano with out his smile, he made his choice. "Queen Honda and Seven Karpusi will accompany me to the Joker's cell. Ten Carriedo, Jack and Ace Vargas will see the dungeon master."

The guard nodded and motioned for another guard to step forward. Antonio and the brothers followed the new guard to the opening in the left. Ludwig prayed to Hand that both Vargas brothers would be able to help in this matter before following the first guard down the stone steps to the _supposedly_ most secure cell in the castle.

"It was a good move to send Feliciano there, Ludwig-san," Kiku said. "If anyone can make the young man feel better, it would be Feliciano."

Ludwig eyed Kiku carefully. He was wearing formal pinkish robes with silver trimmings. A bigger red-purple robe was draped over his shoulders. As close friends as he was with the Queen, it always unnerved him when Kiku could read him so easily yet he is unable to guess what the other was even thinking. The King nodded in reply.

Only torch lamps were the source of light this deep into the dungeons. The guard stopped before a heavy iron door. It looked as if it hadn't been moved for centuries. Except for the broken lock on the door. Ludwig dismissed the guard as Xever bent down to pick up the lock. "I wouldn't," Kiku warned. "This is a magical lock. It came in a pair. The other is what the Spades are using to keep their Joker locked away."

Ludwig flinched when he said _Joker_.

"That lock, created with the strongest metal by the Clubs and magically enforced by Arthur, should be unbreakable," Kiku continues. "Who knows what kinds of techniques were used to break that."

"Arthur is the greatest magic user of all the current Suits," Ludwig replied as Xever perform minor magic around the lock on the floor. "It would be best to let him know of the situation and to leave the lock alone until—wait, did you say it was part of a pair?"

Kiku nodded then gasped, following the King's train of thought. "They are magically linked. If one of them was damaged, the other could have as well."

"Xever, what have you found?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. All I can discern is that it was broken about twenty minutes ago and that it took an immense amount of power for it to have been broken. Forgive me, my King."

"It's fine. Can you send a message to Arthur via wisp from here?"

Seven Karpusi nodded. "I can as long as the message is simple and that it would the only one you need to send within the next hour."

Ludwig nodded and considered his options. Wisps are the fastest way to send a message over long distances. Only magic users can send and receive them, in other words, the Suits. The stronger the magic user, the longer the massage could be sent and the farther. All Suits have a higher amount of magic in them than normal human. Xever and Heracles have the strongest magic in the Hearts, but neither were as strong as the Queen of Spades.

After discerning which would be the most important message, the King said, "Create a wisp and dedicate it to the Queen of Spades. Warn him of the Joker's escape and the possibility that their lock has been compromised as well."

"Yes, my Ki—"

"Ludwig!"

_Feliciano? _Ludwig twirled around at the sound of Feliciano's panicked voice, efficiently drawing his sword from where it was hidden under his cape and standing in a defensive position in a second. But the only thing that came running towards them was a terrified Feliciano. Ludwig barely managed to maneuver the sword-point away from hurting the Jack when he came barreling in and wrapped his arms around Ludwig's middle.

"Feliciano?" Kiku said, trying to calm the Jack's tears. "What happened?"

"There's something chasing me!"

Ludwig turned so that his body was between the other Suits and the stone tunnel the Feliciano came running from. The Royal Sword of the Hearts was pointed steadily at the growing light that was coming from the stairs. Ludwig couldn't hear anything coming but he could sense something. Years of battle instincts, however, told him that whatever it was, it didn't seem very threatening.

The light intensified. Ludwig and the other Suits tensed while Feliciano whimpered until it came. _It _was a reddish wisp. A wisp that was no threat at all and was meant to only send messages.

"It's a message from Arthur," Kiku said, identifying the magical trace immediately.

"Ve~? A message?" Feliciano chirped.

"Yes, only a message, Jack Vargas," Xever confirmed as Ludwig sheathed _Innerste_.

"Let's hear that messa—Feliciano, _let go of me_!"

"Ve~but you're so warm!" The Jack pointed out and snuggled his chest.

"Let go!" Ludwig practically growled as he pried the smaller man off of him. "Kiku, what does the message say and why was it chasing Feliciano?"

The Queen inspected the wisp as Ludwig lifted Feliciano then set the smiling idiot on the ground beside him. "It appears that only someone ranked Jack or higher can get the wisp to talk. Very well then." Kiku held out his hand. The red orb of light immediately landed on his hand. Then it began pulsing as a voice flowed out of it.

_This is Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades. This message is exclusively for the King, Queen and Jack of Hearts_—

Xever silently saluted the Royals then climbed back up the steps. As soon as the Seven's footsteps faded, Kiku continued the message.

—_and it is their choice whether or not to share the information enclosed in this message. I must make a personal apology to King Ludwig Beilschmidt. You have entrusted me with the restraining and care over the Joker, Gilbert Beilschmidt. It is with great humility that I inform you of my failure. Approximately three hours before this message was sent, the Joker had somehow broken free. I sent this message the minute I found out. I know that the locks are paired and pray to the Hand that you receive this message before it is too late._

_This message is an apology as well as a request for a meeting. The freeing of a Joker is important as well as the way he became free. This situation will require more than the attention of a full Suit, which the Spades currently are lacking. As your closest ally and fellow Major Suit, I am requesting a meeting with the Royals of the Hearts in order to discuss this situation and how to move forward from it._

_I must insist that you reply as soon as you can. I have placed enough magic in this wisp for a return message. As soon as my message ends, the wisp will turn purple. At this point, you may record your message. Once you are done, insert the slightest bit of magic into it so it changes to a blue color. As soon as the wisp turns blue, it will begin its trip back to Spades._

_May the Great Hand hold you into its palm._

Sure enough, the wisp turned purple as soon as Arthur's disembodied voice disappeared. Queen and Jack looked up their King. Ludwig had been worried about that he was going to say to Arthur about the Joker. Now he has more important problems to worry about. Like two Jokers on the loose. Ludwig took a deep breath.

"This is Ludwig Beilschmidt, Authoritative King of Hearts. This message is for the the Queen and Jack of Spades. Approximately twenty minutes before this message was sent, the Joker, Peter Kirkland, was believed to have escaped. You were correct about the lock—it is currently on the floor and broken beyond repair. With two Jokers on the loose, I am requesting that we turn the meeting of which you are asking for into a Deck meeting including the other Royals. This a matter that involves more than just our kingdoms. As soon as this message is sent, Queen Honda and Jack Vargas will be accompanying me to your castle. I will leave the informing of the other Suits to you since it is your castle. May the Great Hand hold you in its palm."

Queen Kiku wrapped his fingers around the wisp until it turned blue. Then he let it go. The wisp raced up the stairs to return to its master.

"Kiku, have someone prepare travel arrangements," Ludwig said, his voice monotone. _Two Jokers on the loose? Now of all times? How did they even break free in the first place?_

"Luddy? What are you thinking about?" Feliciano asked.

Ludwig found concerned amber eyes looking up at him. The fire made Feliciano's hair look like an orange halo around his face. Then Ludwig looked down at the Jack's clothes. "Feliciano, your clothes were clean before the meeting and we haven't left the castle since."

"Ve~?"

"Then why are you covered in mud?"

* * *

_**Grazie a Mano**_—**Italian for 'Thank the Hand'**

_**Asperetta**_—**Italian for 'Wait!'**

—**These were translated in Google Translate. If these translations are wrong, please let me know.**

**The countries assigned from Ace through Ten are not canon. I put them there based on their relationships with the canon King, Queen and Jack of each country, or each other or just because I felt like putting them there. The other Suits will be introduced in future chapters. For now, here are the Hearts;**

**King Ludwig Beilschmidt/Germany (I know he doesn't have a last name for reasons but work with me here)**

**Queen Kiku Honda/Japan**

**Jack Feliciano Vargas/Veneziano (N. Italy)**

**Ten Antonio Fernandez Carriedo/Spain**

**Nine Heracles Karpusi/Greece**

**Eight Willem Carriedo/Netherlands**

**Seven Xever Karpusi/Cyprus**

**Six Anouk Carriedo/Belgium**

**Five Carlos Machado/Cuba**

**Four Jorge Esteves/Portugal**

**Three Mei Ling/Vietnam**

**Two Lin Yi Ling/Taiwan**

**Ace Lovino Vargas/Romano (S. Italy)**

**Some of the human names are assigned by the author. Some of the countries only had a list of names the author liked for them and that's where I chose theirs. Other countries who didn't receive any inkling of a human name I (and some friends) assigned names based on names that were popular in that country.**

**Some of these countries probably have headcanon names that I don't know about. Please review if I have screwed up names somehow and I will fix it right away.**

**I am sorry if I have offended anyone with this story. Please review and tell me what I did to offend.**

**We all know who that blonde boy from Italy's dream is, right? ;)**


	4. The Dragon's Fortress

**Here we go, next chapter. Pretty long one too:/ Anyways, enjoy~.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

* * *

**The Dragon's Fortress**

"I can't believe you didn't recognize that it was the same mark as the one on your chest," Matthew teased. It has been a couple days since Yao bowed down to Alfred, and already they had several horses and fine clothes in their possession—much more than anything they ever owned in their seven centuries of life. Not that they were poor, they just didn't need it before. They were currently riding a pair of black highly-trained stallions and wearing blue tunics, brown trousers and their old fur cloaks.

"Shut up! It was still blurry for me," Alfred pouted. He pushed down an uneasy feeling sprouting in his stomach. _I'm pretty sure I didn't anything bad._

"Wait, if your eyesight is that bad, how is your aim so good? I mean, you can shoot a squirrel in the eye without it seeing the arrow."

Alfred shrugged. "I just kinda feel when it's the right time to shoot. Wait, what about you! You're the devil with that spear. How can you aim so well?"

"Same as you do. I guess."

After a short trip back to the village where the twins said their goodbyes to the necessary villagers, Yao's convoy started the three-day trip to the Spades capital. They found it hard to leave behind the high mountains and the open air. It was made easier with their distancing themselves away from the villagers—there were only a few villagers that knew them and none of which the twins were close to. Alfred glanced back to the mountains. For seven hundred years, it was their home. Their mother had given birth to them there and lived their lives in those mountains. They knew every tree and rock in those peaks.

Matthew was quiet for a moment. "How does it feel to be King?"

Alfred sighed. He honestly doesn't how to feel about the idea of being the highest power of one of the four great kingdoms of Deck—the growing stomach ache certainly wasn't helping. He barely knew anything about the country outside their mountains. When the Jack proclaimed that he was going to be King, Alfred thought he was joking. A wave of nausea washed over him. "I don't know, Mattie. It doesn't seem real. For all we know, they could just be pulling our leg."

"Nope, you're the King, mate. Whether you like it or not, you gotta get used to it," said Jett as he came galloping beside them. "And I wouldn't say that so loud. Remember what Yao said?"

The Jack of Spades, after placing small spell that made Alfred's arm itch every now and then on both twins, sent them to the back of the convoy with Jett and Malcolm. He did this when one of the scouts returned claiming to see the Hearts' Royal entourage.

About an hour ago, the Spades convoy stopped when the Queen of Hearts himself, clad in red robes and short black hair, rode up in a brown mare to Yao's carriage. Alfred didn't know what was said between the two but sooner than later, the Queen rode off and returned with a convoy even bigger than the Jack's.

"It's for your own protection too, my King," Malcolm piped as he caught up with them. Hipi, his pet sheep, was trotting happily beside his horse and keeping up effortlessly. Alfred flinched when addressed as 'King' but said nothing. "I mean no offense, but you know nothing about being a Suit and can be easily manipulated against the welfare of the Spades. Not that I don't trust them but, I was told the King of Hearts is in this group as well as the Jack."

"Really?" Jett asked surprised. "What would the Hearts' Royal Sequence be doing here? Are they on their way to our castle as well?"

"Our?" Matthew asked. "Do you live in the castle as well?"

Both Jett and Malcolm jumped in their saddles. Alfred let out a frustrated huff. _He's been right here the whole time! Ugh, why does my stomach hurt so much?_

"Whoa, sorry mate. Forgot you were there," Jett said, running a hand through his brown tresses.

"Jett and I are members of the Suit," Malcolm replied with an apologetic smile. "I am the Five of Spades and—"

"And I, Jett Kirkland, am the Eight of Spades, your majesty," Jett finished with a smile and attempted to bow on top of his horse. "But we should really keep your identity in the down low. Not even your own men know you're the king, Highness."

Alfred shifted nervously on his horse. "Could you not call me that?"

Matthew gave him an alarmed look but remained quiet.

"Eh? Why not? You're going to be King soon—"

"But I'm not King yet, am I?" Alfred grumbled.

"N-no," Malcolm replied nervously. "Not until your coronation."

"Then I'm just Alfred 'til then."

A heavy silence accompanied them afterwards. Alfred himself hated silence but he'd rather have that than talking about his impending Kingship. It wasn't that he was completely against it, but it just wasn't his style to sit on a throne and have people do everything for him. He'd rather be the one getting his hands dirty. He thanked Hand that Matthew was coming with him. Not that because he would feel lonely without him there. Oh no, not for that reason at all. Alfred just wanted to be able to keep an eye on him. That's it.

Alfred stifled a groan. _Why is my stomach hurting so badly?_

Beside him Matthew cleared his throat. "So what exactly do you do as Suits?" _Hand bless him._

"Oh, well, it is our job to watch over the kingdom," the Eight of Spades answered. "We technically don't rule it though. Each kingdom has a Concilium that creates the major decisions. We, as Suits, ensure that those decisions are in the best interest of the people."

"Suits don't get involved in politics unless the majority of the people needs them to," Jett said. "Which is more often than not."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how exactly does the Suit know what the people need?" asked Matthew asked.

The brothers looked at each other uneasily. "We, uh, don't really know how to explain, mate. It's all sorts of complicated," said the elder.

"You might have to ask our cousins. They know more about it than we do," Malcolm said.

"You mean there's more of your family in the Suit?" Alfred asked, pushing aside the gloom of future responsibility. He had the impression that the Hand chose them by something else besides blood.

"Well, my little brother and I became Suits because we dedicated ourselves to this country. We were in the castle guard. The Queen recognized our talents and Arthur prayed to the Hand to let us into the Suit. And here we are," Jett said. "Though the process was much more complicated than that

Alfred almost fell off his horse. "_Queen_?"

Matthew grasped his brother's shoulder to steady him before turning back to the Suits. "Who is Arthur?"

"He's the Queen of Spades, mate. You'll meet him soon."

"Him?" The twins asked simultaneously.

Jett looked puzzled. "Yeah, him."

"Oh I see, you don't know," Malcolm said kindly. "Ranks of the Suit are based purely on the Hand's decision of who will serve the kingdom best, regardless of gender. Arthur Kirkland is the Queen of Spades, meaning that he is the second highest power within the kingdom."

"There are other Kirklands in the Suit as well. I heard that as soon as Arthur became the Queen, his brothers went through heaven and hell to make sure they make it in the Suit. You'll unfortunately meet them," Jett said.

"I mean no disrespect but did the Queen help them claim their ranks?" Matthew asked cautiously.

Jett looked offended but Malcolm spoke up before the taller one could say anything. "A lot of people assumed that but he didn't. There are four Kirkland brothers, we are their cousins, and the youngest is Queen Arthur. The older three aren't the kindest of people but they cared a lot for Arthur. They wanted to be in the Suit to support him. Though if you ask them, they will more than deny it."

Jett steered his horse closer to the twins, no longer offended. "We didn't tell ya this, mate, but they are very protective over Arthur in their own way. That's why they strove to be in the Suit. If ya wanna be close to Arthur, ya gotta get their approval first."

Alfred paled. "Wait, I _have _to get close to the Queen? What _exactly _do I have to do as King?"

Jett laughed. "You're not required to marry the Queen if that's what you're thinking. Arthur isn't exactly the most likable of people. Quite the short-temper, that one."

"As for your responsibilities as King," Malcolm said with a smile, "you'll have to ask the Jack."

"Yao?" Alfred asked.

Jett nodded. "The man's over ten thousand years old. Oldest of all the Suits and the land. He'll tell what you need to know."

"_Ten thousand_?" Alfred choked out. Though he himself has lived longer than any human possible, he couldn't imagine living over a millennia. Much less ten of them. He had always wondered why others around him were aging so quickly. It would have driven him insane if he didn't have Matthew by his side.

"What's the castle like?" Matthew asked.

The Kirklands jumped in surprise.

"He's been there the whole time," Alfred growled.

"Sorry," Malcolm said, offering a smile. "You disappear easily don't you?"

Matthew returned the smile as Alfred puffed out his cheeks in irritation. They were several hours away from the Spades capital. For now, all Alfred could see were the rolling hills. He could still feel the looming mountains behind him and the relief of the villagers as they gazed on the new dam. Alfred was surprised when they weren't mad at him when they told him what had happened. Perhaps with the Jack standing beside him at the time had something to do with that.

The four of them rode near the back of the combined parade of red and blue. It was the farthest possible spot away from the other Royals who were in a red carriage near the front. _It would be smart to keep you a secret, your Majesty,_ Yao had said as he placed the spell on him and Matthew. _This spell will mask whatever magical trace you both have so they won't be able to feel you as the King of Spades. _Whatever that meant.

Alfred had asked why Matthew needed one. Apparently, everyone who lives in the castle who are not members of the Suit have magical traces on them from all their interaction with the Suits. The Jack assumed that Matthew had some kind of trace on him since he and Alfred have spent their whole lives with each other.

"The Spades castle, the whole capital actually, is known as the Dragon's Fortress," Jett began. "Legend says that the very first Suit of Spades were actually dragons. They created the castle to protect their humans from darkness."

"From what historians have written," Malcolm chimed in, "Spades is the oldest of all the kingdoms and the most magical thanks to these dragons. Their power was split in order to create the other kingdoms and their respective Suits."

"So, according to this legend," Alfred wondered out loud, "all magic originates from these dragons?"

"Exactly," Jett said.

"Are the dragons still there?" Alfred asked excitedly, doing his best not to let his nausea to show.

Jett laughed. "If they were, that would be great, mate. The castle is huge and old. Who knows? They might just be sleeping in a room somewhere."

"Speaking of the Dragon's Fortress," Malcolm said with a soft smile. "There it is."

* * *

"Ve~look Ludwig! It's the Spades castle," Feliciano said cheerfully. He, Ludwig and Kiku were sitting with Yao in their carriage of red and gold. The Jack was practically hopping on the velvet cushions next his King. Kiku and Yao were sitting respectfully next to each other, facing them. Somewhere near the back of the caravan, Feliciano could feel other Suits. "We'll be there soon!"

"As big as it is now, we're still quite far, aru," Yao said. "It is a bastion after all. The Spades castle was the most fortified and biggest of all the castles thanks to its longest history."

It had been several hours since Queen Honda led them to the Spades convoy and days since they had left the castle. As guilty as the thought made him, Feliciano was glad that the Joker issue came up. It certainly gave Ludwig a distraction when he asked about Feliciano's clothing.

…_why are you covered in mud?_

How was he supposed to answer that when he didn't know the answer himself? It had been a dream. It had to be. Ludwig himself said that he didn't have a chance to dirty himself in between the meeting and hurrying to the dungeon. How could something that happened in a dream affect the real world? _Why did I need to see that memory?_

Feliciano just had enough time to put on clean clothes before their departure from the kingdom. Lovino threw a fit and demanded to go with him but one glare from the King had him standing still next to Antonio, Sofia and Willem as they waved them off.

Ludwig cleared his throat. "We received the message from Queen Kirkland."

"_Aiyah_, we apologize for that very m—" Jack Wang closed his mouth when Ludwig held up a hand.

"There is no need to apologize for we have grave news ourselves." Yao straightened at the king's tone. "You are not the only ones who have had a Joker escape. I have already sent a message to your Queen regarding the situation. I wasn't sure whether or not he has informed you as of yet."

"I see, aru," Yao replied, hearing the caution in Ludwig's voice as to not offend him. "No, my Queen has not informed me of this. I am currently returning from a confidential mission ordered by Arthur, aru. You are welcome to ask what it was but I will not disclose any classified information, aru."

Feliciano eyed the other Jack. Being in the same rank, he knew that when they are sent to leave the castle on a job, it was the utmost importance. His King and Queen knew this as well which is why he shifted uncomfortably as the atmosphere became tense. Though the Hearts and the Spade were close allies, they were still different nations. Political matters were always a source of tension.

"I assume we are allowed to speculate, Jack Wang?" Kiku said neutrally. Feliciano flinched. The use of formal addresses when it was only between Suits meant that business would be discuss. _Couldn't this have waited until we arrived in the castle? Why can't we all just talk about pasta or paintings?_

The Jack of Spades nodded and smiled mysteriously.

Ludwig cleared his throat. Even though he had the most power in the carriage—in the whole King-less land as well—he still regarded Yao with respect and caution. As did all the other Suits. "Did you find them?"

_Ve?_ _Is Ludwig referring to their King and Ace?_ The search for missing Suits certainly fell under the Jack's jurisdiction. That must be what the Queen sent him away for. But Yao's smile gave nothing away. Something about that smile…

"Ve!" Feliciano exclaimed out loud, catching their attention. "You and Kiku have the same smile! It's different from your normal smiles. Even though Kiku doesn't smile much and I don't see Yao as much, I can tell! How come the two of you have that smile? Does everyone have that smile?"

A surprised silence followed that was then interrupted by Yao's laughter. "_Aiyah,_ you're quite right, Feli." The Jack of Hearts smiled genuinely as the tension dissipated.

"We have the same smile because Yao had raised me before I became a Suit, Feliciano-san," Kiku offered kindly.

"Wow, really?" Feliciano gasped, looking expectantly at Yao.

Yao nodded. "In fact, I have unknowingly found others who later became Suit members, aru. That was how we came to the conclusion that Suits can naturally sense each other."

Ludwig cleared his throat. Feliciano continued to smile as business—without the political tension—resumed. "I have also requested a world meeting rather than one just of the Major Suits. One loose Joker is serious enough, but two? Hand knows how that will end."

"I believe Queen Arthur will comply with your request, aru. Though I must say, I am surprised that the Jokers have not made any big moves."

The King sighed. "It is a surprise. We know very little about them. What we do know has them listed as one of the most dangerous beings in all of Deck."

"Ve? How come?"

It was his Queen that answered him. "Records from the previous set of Suits suggest that Jokers were not very fond of them. They also have the same abilities as us Suits but use that power to create chaos rather than ensuing peace to the kingdoms."

Feliciano has heard of stories of the previous Suit from his grandfather years before he and Lovino received their Insignia. The previous ruled nearly fifteen thousand years ago. They were strong and powerful. They were the ones who drew the boundaries of that the four kingdoms recognize today.

However, they had all mysteriously disappeared. What few surviving records they had in the present told of how one of the human council members found their Ace missing. When he checked the other Suits, they too were gone. It had quickly spread to the other kingdoms that they were gone.

But he hadn't heard much of the Jokers.

"_Aiyah!_"

Feliciano jumped at his fellow Jack's gasp. Ludwig leaned forward, focusing his piercing blue eyes on Yao. "What is it?"

Yao smiled sheepishly and guiltily. "I forgot that there was something that I was going to tell you. Before I had discovered that Joker Beilschmidt"—Feliciano felt Ludwig wince beside him—"had broken free, I had discovered something in our libraries."

"Something about the Jokers?" Kiku asked somewhat hopefully. Or what Feliciano thought was a hopeful tone. It was hard to tell with his Queen.

Yao nodded. "I informed my Queen of this knowledge before I set off for this journey, aru. He most likely tell of it in the meeting but I shall tell you anyways. As the oldest castle, our castle has many secrets. I discovered a small stone room with nothing but pictures carved into its wall."

From his peripheral, Feliciano saw the King and Queen make eye contact. No doubt the other Jack saw as well. _Ve? What was that all about?_ At Ludwig's slightest nod, Yao continued.

"The pictograms depicted how the Jokers were chosen, aru." Feliciano felt Ludwig tense beside him. "Apparently it is the same way as us, the Lettered Suits." Feliciano's back tingled in the memory of receiving the Hand's Insignia. "I have not had enough time to fully study the details of the pictogram but it would seem they were meant to serve the same purpose as the Suits."

"Impossible. They are nothing but chaos. What we stand for, no matter which kingdom, is the exact opposite," Ludwig said gruffly. Feliciano saw the way the King's hands turn into fists. He had heard from Antonio that Ludwig's older brother was a Joker but never found out any details. He hadn't found the courage to ask Ludwig himself about it neither. Nor did anyone want to talk about it.

Yao held up his sleeved hands. "_Aiyah,_ I may have misinterpreted. All I can tell you with the utmost certainty is that those pictograms will only bring about more questions than answers, aru."

The others nodded in agreement. Kiku then repeated Ludwig's message to Arthur to Yao.

"_Aiyah! _The locks were a pair and seeing as how it was the Spades lock that was broken first, do you think that Joker Beilschmidt would have something to do with the escape from your castle?"

"It certainly could be a possibility. Wisps may be the fastest form of communication we have but their travel time would be approximately fifteen minutes between our kingdoms. If it was several hours between the breaking of the first lock and the finding of it, I believe that my br—Joker Beilschmidt, with his skillset, would have had enough time to travel to the Hearts Castle."

A question burned in Feliciano's tongue but didn't know whether or not to ask it. He didn't even know how to word it. How would you ask your closest friend how they feel about their Joker brother?

"Ludwig-san, would it be fair to say that Joker Beilschmidt is more powerful than Joker Kirkland?"

"_Ja_," the King sighed. "He is much older—nearly three thousand years old—while Joker Kirkland was born this century. He has learned lots and have gathered his strength. I urge that we take caution. Especially since we don't what Jokers are capable of."

Feliciano blinked at the way he spoke of his brother. The others most likely didn't notice—or did but said nothing—how Ludwig's voice softened just the slightest bit when he spoke of Joker Beilschmidt. Feliciano himself came to the castle centuries after the Joker was sent to the Spades and never had the chance to meet him. _I can't imagine sending my older brother away. How did Ludwig feel when he found out that his brother was a Joker?_

The hoof beats and the soft rattling of the wheels that faded into the background suddenly became more prominent. Feliciano clamped his mouth shut to avoid biting his tongue as the carriage began to jolt more violently.

"I-t looks l-like w-we h-have ar-rived," Yao said cheerfully, also bouncing in his seat.

Ludwig grunted uncomfortably beside him. The King had braced himself by grabbing the window's ledge and the edge of the cushioned seat. Yao and the Queen of Hearts hadn't done anything as the carriage rattled onto the cobblestone of the Spades' capital city. Either they were extremely patient or it no longer bothered them.

Feliciano himself giggled as the world around him bounced. A heavy arm clutched his shoulder, weighing him down and restoring his world back to other. The Jack smiled widely and clutched Ludwig's arm as the carriage traveled deeper to the heart of Spades.

Amber eyes looked out to the city. It was a maze of walls and gates with the citizens taking the space in between. In his first time visiting the Spades castle, Feliciano had thought that the atmosphere would be suffocating. It wasn't.

The powerful stone walls—no doubt reinforced by magic—were widely spaced, allowing enough room for plenty of streets and buildings. Children had plenty of space to run around and for Royal caravan's to pass on the streets. Feliciano could make out small canals lining the outside and inside of the walls.

The carriage's rattling softened just enough that the Royals within no longer bounced uncomfortably. Feliciano stuck his head outside of the window. He smiled at a few children in blue clothes looking in awe at the scarlet carriage. The Jack stifled a giggle. It must the first time they had seen another color so brightly represented. The kingdoms had their own distinct color—red for Hearts, blue for Spades, orange for Diamonds, and green for Clubs—not necessarily enforced by the Suits but tradition itself.

He looked up to the castle. It was made with the same stone but had a bluer tint. When he had asked what made castle seem blue, he couldn't believe the answer. Embedded within the stones were the Spades' national jewel, sapphires. Only when the Queen showed him the twinkling midnight blue shards did he finally believe. He really shouldn't have been surprised. Not when rubies gave the Hearts castle a reddish sheen.

"Jack Wang!"

Four heads turned to find what looked like a man—and felt like a Suit—galloping towards the carriage.

"What is it, Jett?" Yao yelled over the racket of hoof beats and rattling wheels.

"Our, uh, _guest_ passed out," Jett replied. "The older one."

"Ve~hiya Eight Kirkland!" Feliciano called to the Suit.

Jett smiled. "Well, hey to you too mate! King Beilschmidt, Queen Honda and Jack Vargas, welcome once again to Castle Spades!"

The Hearts Royals nodded a thanks as Yao yelled his reply. "Jett, fetch Ten Kirkland and have Five Kirkland bring our special guest to him, aru. Inform the Queen of our trip while you are at it."

"Aye, my lord!" Jett yelled them placed a fist over his heart in what Feliciano recognized as the Spades salute then rode off towards the castle.

"Ve, doesn't it get confusing with so many Kirklands in the Suit?" he asked Yao.

"_Aiyah_, you have no idea. As soon as Arthur was recognized as the Queen, his protective elder brothers strove to be in the Suit. I thought it was kinda sweet, aru. Remembering which Kirkland was which Suit number took some getting used to, though."

"You have a guest?" Kiku asked Yao.

The Jack of Spades smiled that smile that was really beginning to make Feliciano nervous. "Yes, I had run into a friend and decided to invite him to the castle."

"You don't seem very concerned that your friend had fainted," Ludwig pointed out.

"Him passing out is a good thing, aru," Yao said with the brightest of smiles.

* * *

"_Mon cher_, your Suit is lacking in its feminine touches."

"And most of the feminine touches in your Suit come from you, bearded frog," Arthur snapped.

It has been a week since the Jack had left and that his wisp returned with King Beilschmidt's apology. Arthur himself did not know what to think with two Jokers running around somewhere in Deck.

"_Honhonhon,_ and where is the shame in that?" Francis Bonnefoy, Compelling King of Diamonds, flashed him his famous smile. That smile of his would definitely cause the breath of every woman to leave her breast. But it irritated a certain Queen of Spades to no end.

With the weather outside so peaceful, they decided on having a tea break in Arthur's gardens—winter had yet to touch them. Violets and blue roses peeked at them among the brush. Arthur could make out several fairies hovering over the fountain on their left. Lately, the magical creatures have been lethargic, some not even bothering to show themselves to the Suits anymore. Arthur had always been able to see and communicate with them. He was friends with the fairy queen living in the heart of the garden. Even she had noticed the sadness among her kind.

Francis, along with his Queen and Jack, suddenly arrived at the Spades castle. As per tradition and formalities, Arthur and the rest of his Suit welcomed him with open but tense arms. It was no secret that Diamonds yearn to stretch their borders.

_This bloody wanker, what the hell is he doing here?_ Arthur thought as he sipped tea with the Diamonds Royals. Arthur had agreed with Ludwig's request to call the other Royals to a meeting. It took at least four days to get to the Spades Castle from Diamonds and a week from Hearts. The Clubs would definitely take ten days to get there from their castle.

Imagine Arthur's surprise when King Bonnefoy appeared on his doorstep not even twenty-four hours after sending the wisp to him and the Clubs' King. _The git was already on his way here and he has yet to reveal why._

As of yet, the Diamonds do not know of the Jokers' escaping. Nor do the Clubs for that matter. Arthur himself would refuse to reveal such a grave matter until the other Royals have arrived. _I assume we both have our secrets for the time being._

"Do you find the tea to your liking, Queen Zwingli?" Arthur asked politely to his fellow rank.

"Yes. It is very delightful, Queen Kirkland," Lili Zwingli replied. She was a timid girl that looked about seventeen. Of course, this age was not accurate—about several thousands of years off. The Queen of Diamonds had pale blonde hair woven into braided pigtails. Her innocent green eyes, along with her pale skin and fragile frame, emphasize how much of a delicate little thing she was.

But Arthur didn't let this supposed frailty fool him. Yes, Lili was a sweet girl but she was a monster with trade. She is perhaps the sole reason that the Diamonds became the richest out of all four Kingdoms.

"I'm glad to hear it, your Majesty. And you, Jack Zwingli, what do you think of it?"

"It tastes fine, Highness," the Jack of Diamonds, Vash Zwingli, grunted. He looked exactly like his younger sister in terms of coloring, but he was more built. As he should as the general of the Diamonds army. Arthur's guards, standing around the garden, were nervously shifting their feet. The sword on his hip was not exactly hard to see.

"Aren't you going to ask me, _cheri_?" Francis pouted.

"I don't give a bloody care about what you think," Arthur growled. From the corner of his eye, he caught two of his older brothers taking the positions of other guards. _What's all that about?_

He wasn't the only one to notice. "Ah, Ten and Six Kirkland. Would you care to join us?"

"Not if those snacks are made by Arthur," Allistor Kirkland, the Ten of Spades, replied around his cigar. He was a full head taller than Arthur with red hair and scowl. He, like all other Kirklands, had the infamous thick brows hovering over piercing green eyes. Allistor was the eldest of the fiv—_four _Kirkland brothers and had a constant fierce expression. He strode forward the table, leaving the other brother by the door.

Trent Kirkland, the Six of Spades, was the second youngest. He had a similar build to Arthur except that he was a bit taller. He had strawberry blonde hair framing his expressionless face. He gave a brief nod to Arthur but did nothing else.

"I beg your pardon? And no, I did not make them," Arthur snarled at his brother.

"Then I shall be joining you," Allistor said simply. The Ten stood behind his Queen and leaned over his shoulder to snatch some pastries on the table. Arthur was about to snap at him for invading his personal space when something made his spine stand straight. _What in the bloody hell?_

Only Allistor noticed his unusual behavior—mostly because the others couldn't very well see with him leaning over the younger. He raised a thick brow. Arthur subtly straightened the ribbon perfectly centered on his chest. Allistor recognized the action and stood straight with a pastry in his hand.

"However," he said facing the King. "It would seem that I still a great amount of work to do. I came only to extend a welcome to you," he bowed to each of the Diamonds Royals, "and snatch a snack. I shall now take my leave."

No asking for leave. Just _taking_ it. At first this had angered Arthur. He was the _Queen_ for crying out loud! But then again, what can he really do against his jerk of a brother?

_What is this feeling?_ Whatever it was that Arthur felt, it hasn't gone away. If anything, it was getting closer. A powerful presence had stepped into the kingdom. It didn't _feel_ dangerous. _Definitely not a Joker. If not that, than what_—

"Allistor!" yelled someone bursting into the garden_ on horseback_.

The four Royals jumped to their feet. Vash had pulled his sister behind him and had his sword drawn. "Not in the gardens, you git!" Arthur yelled.

Their cousin looked up in surprise at the orange clad royals then to his Queen. He saluted him with a fist over his heart then led his horse off the grass. Arthur made it his personal goal to have the most impressive garden in all the four kingdoms and hoof prints was not the way to do that.

Jett Kirkland jumped from his horse, bowed to his Queen and the other Royals and ran up to Allistor. _Wasn't he with Yao's convoy? Are they back? Why am I just now finding out? _Arthur cursed how relaxed and unguarded the kingdom had become despite all the unrest. Just because they hadn't seen war in centuries doesn't mean they should let their guard down.

"Ah, another Kirkland," Francis unnecessarily pointed out. "And Vash, please put the sword away. We are in a different kingdom in the presence of their Queen. You are making the guards uneasy."

Sure enough, each one of Arthur's guards, and Trent, had their swords drawn. Arthur signaled them to put them away after Vash had sheathed his. Trent stared intently at the Jack before being the last to put his weapon away.

After a few urgent whispers, Allistor saluted Arthur and quickly made his way back to the castle. "May I have a word with you, Queen Kirkland?" Jett asked.

Arthur raised a thick brow then nodded his head to the side. He turned towards the fountain and, as expected, Jett hurried to catch up with him. "Were you not part of Yao's convoy, Eight Kirkland?"

"I was, Queen Kirkland," Jett replied in the same formal tone.

The cousins didn't make eye contact. Jett, of course, does not have enough magic in him to see the fairies dancing in the fountain without their permission but the Queen watched as them as they did their dance. It was different than before—brighter and _happier_. Arthur himself had felt a sense of completion when _whatever_ ran down his spine. _What the hell was that feeling?_

"The Jack has returned?" Arthur asked silently.

"Yes, not too long ago, your Majesty."

"And?"

Jett let a content sigh. "The mission was a success, your Majesty."

Arthur let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding.

"And the Ace?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid."

That's alright for now. The King was the priority.

But Jett wasn't done. "We met with the Hearts Royals on the way back—"

"Do they know?" Arthur demanded. They may be their greatest allies but Arthur didn't appreciate finding out after they did.

"No, mate—I mean, your Majesty. Yao placed a cloak spell over them."

"Good, good." Arthur relaxed. _So that's what that feeling was. Even the fairies sensed the arrival of the King._ As glad as he was with the finding of the King. He couldn't help how nervous he is. The kingdom was currently malcontented with food shortages and relations with the other kingdoms. Not to mention the rumors of a rebellion against the Suits._ Can he handle these things?_ _What if he's not enough to bring about peace?_

"Arthur?" One of the fairies flew up to him. She had big eyes of pure purple. They didn't have pupils like people do but just large purple dots on their pale green faces. Her head was shaped like a flower bulb with a touch of color on the top. She had a dress made of an upside down tulip and leaves for sleeves. Her butterfly wings sparkled in the sun as she flew to his eye level. "He's the one. He's here."

Arthur smiled at the fairy then turned to Jett. "Have Suits meet them in the—what is it?"

Jett was shuffling nervously on his feet. "Um, we are not sure what happened but…"

"Out with it," Arthur snapped.

Jett frowned at him before answering, "We're not quite sure but he passed out as soon as he crossed into the—"

"What? Take me to him immediately."

"But, King Beilschmidt—"

Arthur swore to himself. Formalities between Royals usually prioritizes, but he's pretty sure that making sure that their _own_ King is taken care of is more important. But the other Royals know this and would immediately know that they had found their King. _Would they know already?_

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw King Bonnefoy flirting with a maid and Lili and Vash making small talk. It didn't appear as if they noticed a difference. _As if the bearded git can notice anything when there's someone he could flirt with._

"Alright," Arthur said loud enough for the other Royals to hear. "King Beilschmidt has arrived along with his Queen and Jack. Come, let us greet them."

He didn't wait for answer. Arthur strode inside the castle with Jett and Trent at his heels. He can hear the Diamonds Royals following not too far behind. "Arthur," Trent whispered, "is he…?"

"Yes, did you feel it?" Arthur whispered back.

Trent hummed an agreement. "Not as much as you did though. Allistor?"

"He knows, no doubt all of the Spades Suit know. Jett!"

"Yes, my Queen."

"I assume you told Allistor to care for the _guest_?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Good, have the rest of the Suit still in the castle gather around him and protect him. He may have the mark but he doesn't have crown just yet. Do not follow his orders. Relay everything to me. I will trust Allistor with him."

Jett saluted and followed his orders.

"Trent, when we greet the Hearts Royals, go to Malcolm and find out every single detail."

And so they did. Arthur stood with the Diamonds Royals and his brother and watched as the portcullis was lifted. They exchanged formalities with the Hearts Royals—Francis gave Ludwig a peck on the cheek causing the latter to recoil away—as Trent subtly disappeared.

Arthur and Yao escorted the foreign rulers to their rooms, announced that dinner will be ready soon then hastily made their way to infirmary. "What the bloody hell happened Yao? Was there an attack?"

"_Aiyah_, did you honestly expect him to be okay as soon as he stepped into the kingdom in the state it's in?"

_Blast, I hadn't thought of that, _Arthur swore to himself and turned the corner when he felt the overwhelming power of his whole Suit gathered in the infirmary. _Wait, the whole Suit?_

"Is he still cloaked?"

"Yes, Arthur. Though you may want to reinforce that spell."

There was a man that Arthur hasn't seen before standing in front of the door. Arthur barely noticed him and managed to stop just before running into him. Yao was not as fortunate.

"Eh, sorry," the man said in a surprisingly soft voice especially for someone with his build when the Jack ran into him. He was a young man, around nineteen with slightly long dark blonde hair with a strange looping curl. He had the oddest purple eyes that strangely reminded Arthur of his pirating days. "Mr. Wang, Al's just inside," the young man said nervously looking at the door.

"As he should be, Matthew. But why aren't you in there, aru?"

"Everyone inside told me to wait out here."

"_Aiyah! _But you're his brother!"

"Wait, who are you?" Arthur demanded. The man before him was no human but _what was he?_

"Matthew Williams. I'm Alfred's twin brother."

"And, pray tell me, who is Alfred?"

Matthew didn't answer and nervously glanced at Yao. This was enough for Arthur to confirm that this Alfred was the one he wanted to meet. The mystery of Matthew will have to wait.

"MATTIE!"

"AL! I'm okay!"

"Where the hell are you?" yelled a voice the Queen did not recognize from inside the infirmary.

"Oh for Hand's sake, open this door," Arthur yelled, effectively shutting up whoever was yelling inside. _Honestly, is there really a need to yell indoors? _"By the order of the Queen!"

The doors opened immediately after that. Allistor stood as the double doors swung inwards. He glared at his younger brother. "I thought you didn't like using that card."

Arthur returned the glare, feeling very much like a child against his brother's height. "This is a special occasion. How dare you separate two brothers?"

Allistor bit into his cigar, a vein pulsed on his temple. Arthur knew he crossed the line with that comment. As the eldest sibling, Allistor knew the value of brotherhood. But Arthur didn't particularly care at the moment.

Inside the castle infirmary was the entire Spades Suit. Kasem Chao, the Three of Spades, and Cai Wang, the Two of Spades, were raised by Yao as medicine men. They both had dark brown hair and eyes though Kasem's was naturally spiked and Cai's was a very modest cut with bangs barely reaching his glasses. They now hovered over a man that looked very much like Matthew who was thrashing on the bed while he was held down by two other Suits. Seven Wong Kha Loung, though he preferred to be called Leon, was a young man with long dark brown hair with very little expressions. He and Four Im Yong Soo, an energetic man with short black hair with an odd curl to the side, struggled to keep the man from jumping off the bed.

"MATTIE!" The thrashing man yelled when the doors opened.

Matthew ran inside as soon as he had the chance. Arthur's second oldest brother, Nine Ronan Kirkland, moved to stop him but stopped when Arthur raised a hand. The man, whom he assumed to be Alfred, calmed down as soon as he saw his brother. Arthur took note of how much Leon and Yong Soo were panting. _They're not human, they shouldn't tire easily. Just how much was Alfred struggling?_

Matthew's brother jumped out of bed and placed himself between his brother and the Suits, pushing Matthew against the wall. The Suits watched the brothers, _twins_, warily. Arthur did not notice his brothers moving discreetly in front of him. "Alfred," Matthew said. "They're not going to hurt us."

Alfred let out a hoarse laugh. He obviously did not believe that. The poor boy was trembling. Whether it was from exhaustion or fear or pain, Arthur couldn't tell. Though he could very well guess. Arthur watched as the crazed man raised a hand clutched the area where his heart should be. _Definitely pain. He's in pain._

"Enough," Arthur commanded with all the authority he learned in two thousand years leading a King-less kingdom. The Suits turned towards him and his brothers stepped aside allowing the Queen to step forward. Everyone in the room stood at attention.

He met the glare of their uncrowned King. "What is your name?"

"Alfred F. Jones," he growled painfully.

"Jones?" Arthur glanced between him and Matthew. "And you're Williams?"

The twins refused to answer the implied question. Alfred's was trembling from head to toe. His deep blue eyes—fitting since he would soon be crowned the King of Spades—were frantic like the eyes of an injured animal. He, like his brother, had dark blonde hair except his was shorter had curious cowlick defying gravity where it parted. He had a more powerful build and seemed to know his strength. Arthur only reached up to his shoulder, including the hat that was precariously balanced on the side of his head.

"Jack Wang, is this Alfred F. Jones the one?"

"Yes, my Queen."

Alfred perked up at the word 'Queen'. He met Arthur's emerald green eyes as if expecting something. The poor boy's face seemed almost hopeful that he was there. A wave of nostalgia washed over the Queen of Spades. _Something _was telling him that he knew these boys. He pushed it down and straightened his back.

"Suits, if you haven't figured out who this is, then I suggest you rethink your positions. We have two other Kings currently residing in this castle and another on the way. Until you receive further orders from either myself or Jack Wang, the identity of this man will remain a secret."

The supposed King of Spades kept his eyes trained on the Queen. No longer were they feral but the pain was still embedded deep within them. Arthur had the distinct feeling of falling inside those Spade-blue orbs—wait, _what?_

Arthur tore his eyes away and faced the Suit, standing between them and the twins. "Jack Wang, Eight and Five Kirkland will stay here. The rest of you have preparations for the Deck meeting to busy yourselves with." Arthur caught the eyes of his three brothers. They nodded and heard the silent order to prepare the coronation ceremony.

As one, the Spades Suit—with exception to those who would be staying in the infirmary—stood in attention and placed a fist over their hearts and filed out. Arthur maintained his distance from the twins as the Jack and his cousins coaxed the King and his brother to relax.

Unsurprisingly, Alfred kept yelling at them to back off. Arthur sighed. He had chosen those three to stay assuming that the twins would be more comfortable around them. Apparently not.

All yelling stopped when Alfred fell to his knees, clutching his chest. Arthur took a step forward but stopped himself. No sense in overwhelming the lad. "Al!" Matthew gasped.

"Why don't you lay down?" Malcolm offered. He and his brother stood on either side of Alfred and helped him to his feet.

Well, attempted to. "Holy Hand, mate. What have you been eating?" Jett grunted as the combined effort between and his brother did little to get Alfred up to his feet.

Even when Matthew and Yao joined in, it was difficult. They only managed to get him on a bed when Arthur helped with a bit of magic.

"What have you done to him?" Matthew growled after placing a blanket over his twin.

He was glaring at Yao. Arthur took this as his cue to step forward. "We have done nothing to him, Matthew. What he is feeling now is the nation."

"What?" Alfred groaned from the bed.

"Even if I explain it to you now, you wouldn't understand. Not with the pain you're going through," Arthur snapped. "Do you remember that spell Yao placed on you?"

Both twins nodded. "Well, it's cloaking your magical trace. It's also limiting Alfred's abilities. This means that the pain you're experiencing right now is just a fraction of what it should be—"

"What? Does this have something to do with him being a King?" Matthew asked, placing a protective arm over his brother. Arthur was surprised that his voice was significantly softer than his brother's.

"Yes, it hurts because he is unused to it. Yao's spell was not strong enough. Now, will you allow me to reinforce the spell and stop your brother's pains?"

Matthew cast a hesitant glance at his brother and nodded. Arthur stepped towards the King, lips moving in a silent incantation, his eyes glowing. He quickly found where Yao had placed the original—on his arm—and added his own layer of magic. He felt warmth radiate throughout his body as he imagined a blanket of magic protecting Alfred from his newly-discovered abilities. A magic circle of blue light appeared around his wrist as finished the spell.

Already, Alfred looked relaxed. He took a deep breath and let go his chest. Arthur mentally patted himself on the back. He allowed Alfred several breaths before getting down to business. "Do you have the mark of the King?"

Alfred groaned then sat up. He gave Arthur a small frown then pulled the collar of his tunic down to reveal the muscle over his heart. Sure enough, the mark was there. The Spades emblem of a stag whose antlers rose and curved into a point, much like a Spade, and an intricate 'K' between said antlers.

Arthur breathed again without realizing he was holding it. Of course he knew that he was the King. The whole Suit had felt it as soon as Alfred stepped into the capital. What they didn't feel, however, was just how much fear the boy was feeling. It was that fear that drew Arthur to the infirmary. The duty of the King is to the people. The duty of the Queen is to the Suit, especially the King.

"Mattie," Alfred said gruffly and pointed. "That card."

Everyone turned to where he was pointing. Matthew refused to budge from his brother's side so Arthur went to whatever it was Alfred was pointing at. It was customary in each to kingdom for each room in the castle to have at least one deck of cards. The ones that the King was pointing to, however, were the ones framed on the infirmary wall.

The Spades infirmary was one of the largest rooms in the castle, able to house a hundred patients at a time. Arthur had always feared that one day, it would be too small. Circled around the walls were thirteen giant frames displaying the Spades cards of a deck.

Arthur felt his gut tighten when he approached the one Alfred was pointing at. He had expected it to be the King's card, now Alfred's card. But it was the Ace. He turned to his King. "You've seen this symbol before?"

The lad grinned widely. "Yup. Right here," he said rather loudly, previous pain forgotten, and grabbed his brother's shoulder.

"E-eh?" Matthew stuttered, obviously surprised at his brother's claim.

Without his brother's permission, Alfred began clawing to his brother's collar. He pulled it back and showed the Queen the back of his twin's shoulder. There was a smaller version of the Spades Stag that was on Alfred's chest and an Intricate 'A'.

Jett let out a whoop that made Arthur and Yao jump. He flung an arm around his brother and Matthew. "The Ace! You're the Ace, mate! We're now a whole Suit!"

And so the feeling of completion the Queen felt earlier was explained. A smile tugged at Arthur's mouth, uncommon but not unwelcome._ By the Hand, when was the last time I had smiled? When was the last time I had a reason to smile genuinely?_

"Well, Arthur," Yao sighed as if a heavy weight was released from his shoulders, "Congratulations. The Spades Suit is now complete."

* * *

**Again, this came out much longer than expected. We met a lot of people in this chapter so here's the Spade Suit listed;**

**King Alfred F. Jones/America**

**Queen Arthur Kirkland/England/Britain**

**Jack Yao Wang/China**

**Ten Allistor Kirkland/Scotland**

**Nine Ronan Kirkland/Northern Ireland**

**Eight Jett Kirkland/Australia**

**Seven Wong Kha Loung (Leon)/Hong Kong**

**Six Trent Kirkland/Wales**

**Five Malcolm Kirkland/New Zealand**

**Four Im Yong Soo/South Korea**

**Three Kasem Chao/Thailand**

**Two Cai Wang/Macau**

**Ace Matthew Williams/Canada**

**So what do you guys think so far? Yes, I realize that the salute for the Spades Suit is very much like the one in Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin. This is because I see the Spades as the most militant of the other kingdoms. This will be explained in the future chapters.**

**I also read somewhere that the Hearts and the Spades are the Major Suits while the Diamonds and the Clubs are the Minor Suits. Something about contact bridge. Anybody know why?**

**This chapter was very slow for me but please be patient. Things will go faster next chapter. 'Til next time!**

**Review pls:)**


	5. City of Lights

**Sorry this took so long!**

**There was a whole other part i was going to add but this was long enough. Anyways, enjoy~**

* * *

**The City of Lights**

Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and clutched his scepter with the other, white-knuckled. It hasn't been twenty-four hours since he stepped foot into the Spades Castle, and he already wanted to leave. He took a sip of the water provided and let out a sigh.

"_Honhonhon_, you may be the Queen of Spades, but you sure are the king of losing things."

The Diamonds and the Clubs, clad in orange and green respectively, were informed of the situations concerning the Jokers. The news were taken as expected.

"Shut it, you bearded bastard! If they were under your care, they would have escaped a long time ago."

"You're not insulting the Clubs-made locks, _da_?"

"O-of course not, Ivan," Francis stammered.

The eleven Royals were seated around a polished square oak table with carvings of each of the kingdoms' symbols—cups for Hearts, swords for Spades, wands for Diamonds, coins for Clubs. The Hearts sat in their cardinal direction on the west side of the table across from the Spades in the east. The Diamonds sat beside them on the south side across the Clubs on the north. The King would be seated in the center with the Queen on his right and Jack to the left.

_Mein Hand, how did I think that we could actually accomplish something in these meetings? _Like with every meeting, the Royal Sequence of each of the kingdoms were short-tempered and spiteful. Arthur and Francis were at each other's throats, literally. Despite how well they were getting along the previous day, Yao was currently giving Kiku a cold shoulder. Feliciano was clinging to Ludwig's arm and whimpered as the King of Clubs smiled at him. Ludwig glared at the empty seat across from him that was meant for the Spades King. _How much easier would things be if you were here?_

Each castle had a room just like the one they were seated in. Those four rooms were the only areas in all of Deck of neutrality, where no one country had more power than any other. But this meeting was slightly different. Only Royals were allowed in that room, not even the other Suits. _So why did Arthur bring a boy in?_

The boy—looked more like a man that rivaled even Ludwig's build but was probably an infant compared to everyone else—with dirty blonde hair and a curious cowlick defying gravity was shifting uncomfortably on his feet. It wasn't really a crime to bring someone else to the meeting but it sure was a cause for alarm.

_Don't ask and just pretend he's not here. We will explain everything in due time, aru._

That was what the Jack of Spades had said when they had walked in. Francis had pestered Arthur about it earlier but stopped when he was threatened by the most powerful magician in all of Deck.

"Vash! Please, _put the sword away!_"

"Don't tell me what to do," the Jack of Diamonds growled but sheathed his weapon nonetheless.

"Now, now, Roderich. No need to start a war."

_Heilige scheiße, I've had it._

"THAT IS _ENOUGH_!" Ludwig yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "All this nonsense thrown back and forth will solve _absolutely nothing_! We are on the verge of a crisis and all you do is quarrel with each other like a bunch of monkeys. If you have nothing to say that will help with the Joker situation up until we move on the next topic, then keep your traps shut, you _dummkopfs!_"

Feliciano let out a whimper of fear. A stab of guilt made Ludwig wince but he refused to back down, not with what was on the line. The other Royals froze then slowly took their seats.

"How about we go over the details on the lock?" Queen Elizabeth Hedervary of Clubs, a brave woman with light brown hair and pale green eyes, began. "They were created in my kingdom, yes?"

"Yes, Queen Hedervary," Queen Kirkland replied. "And enchanted by the strongest binding spell I could get my hands on."

_Formal addresses. Good, that's a step in the right direction_, thought Ludwig as he sat back down. Beside him, Jack Vargas had already calmed down and began messing with the triangular flag with the Hearts emblem—an open-mouthed lion whose red mane was shaped into a heart—that he insists on carrying around.

"The fact that it is also a pair allows the locks to reinforce each other, aru," Jack Wang continued. "If one breaks, the other will too. However, this technique will double their strength."

"Then there is no doubt that these locks are nearly impossible to break," King Bonnefoy pointed out. "The strongest metal forged by the greatest smiths in the world reinforced by Arthur's most resilient magic, _oui_?"

Queen Kirkland and King Ivan Braginski of Clubs—a mountain of a man with a baby face of violet eyes and pale blonde hair—nodded.

"With no doubt on the foundations of these locks, shall we move on to the next question?" Queen Honda asked then continued as others around the table nodded. "Is there even a possible way to break such a lock?"

King Ludwig caught Queen Kirkland's eye. Sky blue and emerald green held until they found their answers. "There is a chance," Queen Kirkland began, "and a _miniscule_ one at that, if both were targeted at the same time."

"What?" Jack Roderich Edelstein of Clubs, a man with brown hair and violet eyes, and known for his musical feats, exclaimed. "Are you saying that the only way for these locks to be broken is through orchestration?"

"_Ja_," King Beilschmidt answered. "It is no coincidence that the Jokers were set free. Even if these locks were powerful, someone had the power and means to break them."

"Could it be the Jokers themselves?" Queen Hedervary asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Ludwig chewed the inside of his cheek. _Looks like I'm not the only one worried about Gilbert._

"Impossible," Queen Kirkland answered. "Both were restrained magically and physically"—he and King Beilschmidt shared a wince—"by the full power of the Spades and the Hearts Suit at the time."

"Ve, maybe someone helped them," Jack Vargas piped in, waving his flag ridiculously.

Tension filled the air. Only the boy with the cowlick and Feliciano looked around innocently. The idea of outside help being given to the Jokers was one that each of the Royals have thought of but refused to mention. Not only did it insinuate that there is some unknown out there with powers rivaling, if not greater, than the Suits, but that there is a betrayal so deeply rooted against the Suits that Jokers had to be involved.

"Why now though?" Queen Zwingli, who had stayed quiet beside her king, piped in. "Is there something important coming up?"

Ludwig shifted uncomfortably. As did Yao across the room. They made eye contact but let it go. _Could it have something to do with what Heracles found?_

The tension became suffocating until King Bonnefoy cleared his throat. "Unless anyone has had any great epiphanies in the last hour, I believe it is time to move on to the next topic."

Ludwig gritted his teeth. Again, they have gotten nowhere. Then again, what can they do with a problem as unfamiliar as this? He sighed. _Guess there's no point in going around in circles._

There was another thing bothering the King of Hearts and that was the Royals themselves. It seemed as if each kingdom had a secret of their own that they brought just for this meeting.

"_Da_, may I start?" King Braginski said with his constant yet creepy smile. Jack Edelstein looked very uncomfortable beside him while Queen Hedervary looked grim. "I will put this bluntly. The unrest had been too much for my people. Civil war will be declared as soon as I return."

International wars were unsavory between the Suits, as close as they are with each other. Civil war was a completely different story. It meant that the Suit could not provide what the people needed. This was a shock for the whole land, not just the Clubs.

"W-wait, Iv—King Braginski, what convinced you to—"

"This was not my choice, Queen Kirkland. It was my Concilium's decision. They had the decency to wait for my return before declaring war." King Braginski looked exhausted. He was the King after all. He _feels _the nation inside of him. Ludwig could only fathom what he must feeling with a torn nation inside. The small ache in his gut that represented the so-called Clockwork Hammer rebellion suddenly caught his attention.

Jack Zwingli cleared his throat. "The cause of unrest…?"

"There are many," Queen Hedervary sighed. "The main one is the Suit. There are a significant amount of people who think that time of the Suits have passed and that they should be able to rule themselves. We have been able to prevent many violent acts but they are increasing."

"The Conciliums—" King Bonnefoy began.

"Yes, some of them are aware that the Concilium is the one making the big decisions but it seems the Concilium has used us a scapegoat for their mistakes," Jack Edelstein answered.

"Bloody bastards," Arthur growled.

"On another note," King Braginski rumbled out, straining to hide his pain. "My miners have found some interesting glyphs. We have been unable to analyze them properly because of all the civil unrest—"

Kiku leaned closer to Ludwig and whispered something. Ludwig raised an eyebrow. _That just might work_. Ludwig nodded and Queen Honda called the attention of the Royals.

"We, too, have found glyphs in our lands. They were unearthed after a small earthquake several months ago. We were able to analyze a significant amount of them."

"Ve?" Feliciano looked to Ludwig questioningly and was met with the _I'll-tell-you-later_ look.

"_Aiyah_, well what did you find out?"

King Beilschmidt cleared his throat and all attention, even the mysterious boy's, went to him. "Nine Heracles Karpusi had deemed it as a prophecy with a ten thousand year cycle—"

Yao choked on whatever he was drinking. So badly that the boy with the cowlick thumped him in the back. Hard. "_Aiyah_¸ thank you, Alfred. Forgive me, King Beilschmidt, please continue."

_Alfred? _Ludwig nodded. It was Kiku's idea to bring up the cycle of prophecy to see Yao's reaction. Whether he reacted to his memories or was just surprised, they had yet to find out.

"The glyphs told that every ten-thousand years, the Suits' power would wane. We would become mortal, _human,_ in fact." Several of the other Royals stood slowly to their feet, disbelief and outrage written on their faces. King Beilschmidt continued before any of them could say anything. "However, we keep whatever skills we have. For example, the Kings would still be able to feel the nation, magicians can still cast spells and so on."

Suits are incredibly hard to kill. Sure, they can get hurt by swords and cannons but it would take a lot more than that to kill them. In fact, they are not quite sure what _can_ kill them. Nor do they know what would happen afterwards. There were rumors that a Clubs Suit died thousands of years ago but the rumors were never confirmed.

"As for your question earlier, Queen Zwingli," King Beilschmidt continued. "It would seem that this cycle would renew soon—I doubt it was a coincidence that these glyphs were revealed around the same time the Jokers' escape. King Braginski, if civil war is declared, there is a very likely chance that you and the rest of the Clubs Suit will be killed."

"We have a proposition," Queen Honda continued. "We propose a joint team of _humans_ to look into these glyphs. I am also asking that the Spades and the Diamonds send in a team as well. Along with the archeological team, the Hearts are also willing to give resources and trading goods if it would help the unrest. This will show that the Suits are maintaining healthy relations with the other kingdoms and promoting trade. I would also recommend to announce it as the Suits decision rather than the Concilium's."

The Clubs Royals looked at each other and, after several whispered words, Queen Hedervary spoke. "We shall take your proposal under consideration."

_Two down, two to go_. Ludwig looked across from him. He still couldn't understand what the boy was doing there. He felt human but had a layer of magic over him. Perhaps his Queen placed it over him so that he could enter the chamber.

"Well, this prophecy certainly bodes bad news," King Bonnefoy sighed. "I take it that not very many know about this prophecy, _oui_?"

Ludwig eyed him warily. He has heard of the overpopulation problems in Diamonds and the need to stretch its borders. Imperialism was not something they had dealt with for centuries. However, he certainly wouldn't put it past a former pirate to begin again.

It was Jack Wang that answered the King's question. "Records of it have disappeared due to time degradation. I doubt anyone has heard of it."

_Cryptic. Everyone knows that he is hiding something but he isn't acknowledging his personal opinions on the topic._ Of course, any of the Kings and Queens can tell him to spill but they respect him to a degree that they wouldn't do that. There's also the fact that he was the second best magician in the Deck.

"Then we need to be prepared, _non_? If we were to survive this, then we need to prepare ourselves for anything that will happen. Now, I want to address the Spades"—Ludwig could see the irritation written on Queen Kirkland's face—"and their lack of members."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Arthur growled, the boy standing behind his seat shuffled uncomfortably. _What is it about that boy…?_

"What I am saying, _mon ami_, is that you are lacking a King and an Ace while the rest of the other kingdoms are, well, _not_. And it seems that we have run out of time to look for your King and Ace."

"_Aiyah_, but we—"

"Yao," Arthur gritted through his teeth but glared at Francis, "let _Francis_ continue. I want to know what the bearded bastard has the gall to say."

"I am willing to take one for the Kings and propose to you, _mon cher_ Arthur."

"Propose what?" Arthur snapped. Ludwig had a bad feeling with what Francis meant by 'take one for the Kings'.

"I am _proposing_ to you." Francis smiled but Ludwig saw that it was forced. "As it was in the old days where countries were combined with the marriage between a King and a Queen—"

And then, chaos.

"This is just a ploy to justify your sudden imperialist ideals!" Elizabeth cried.

"That only worked in the old days! It won't work now without their Concilium's approval," Kiku reasoned.

"You already have a Queen," Roderich pointed out.

"Ve, but you're both male. Who will wear the dress?" Feliciano asked.

"What the hell, you never told us about this!" Vash growled.

"What will happen if the King and Ace were found, aru?" Yao question, strangely calm.

"Are you trying to make the others one with the Diamonds, Francis?" Ivan pressed creepily.

Arthur himself was letting out an impressive string of curses, probably learned from his pirating years, jumping to his feet. Ludwig could see the bluish glow of magic in his hands. No doubt that something bad was about to happen to Francis. But the blonde boy held him back—

Ludwig stared wide-eyed as Arthur struggled against the boy's iron grip. First, it shouldn't be possible to hold back a Suit since they are physically stronger than any human. Second, somehow, by locking his arms around Arthur, the boy was able to keep him from blasting Francis with Hand knows what. Finally, why did Ludwig think that boy _belonged_ on the seat directly across from him—the seat of Spades' King…

"_ARTHUR!_" Ludwig yelled with his best general's voice. The entire room quieted down and all eyes fell on the King of Hearts. "I believe it's about time you told us just who this boy is."

Said boy let go of the Queen of Spades after the blue light disappeared. He stepped forward and put himself between Francis and Arthur. Ludwig raised an eyebrow at this. _The boy has guts_, he thought as the blonde met the eyes of each of them straight on.

"My name is Alfred F. Jones. My brother, Matthew Williams, and I came to this castle yesterday. He is the Ace of Spades and I am the King." The boy pulled open his tunic and showed them the mark over his heart. Ludwig felt a tugging on his own mark, in the same place like all the other Kings, telling him that the Insignia was genuine. Alfred returned Francis' glare with a smug look. "Thank you, King Bonnefoy, but your proposal has been denied."

* * *

"Alfred F. Jones, are you willing to take the Sapphire Oath as the Almighty King of Spades?"

"I am willing," Alfred replied.

Ludwig stood before him dressed in full royal regalia of the Hearts' King. Alfred himself was dressed in the Spades King uniform—a long navy blue cloak draped over a light blue long tail coat, black vest and trousers, and a blue tie.

Alfred was kneeling on one knee before the stairs leading up to his future throne. Yao and Arthur, also dressed in dazzling royal regalia, stood on either side of him and several steps back. Yao held a purple pillow with the Spades Scepter and King's Clock sitting on top of it. Arthur held a similar pillow holding the Spades Crown.

Ludwig turned to his left where the two other kings stood. "Francis Bonnefoy, Opulent King of Diamonds, and Ivan Braginski, Fortuitous King of Clubs, do you stand as witnesses of the King's Oath and give your support for the soon-to-be King of Spades?"

"I do." Both the Kings' voices rang true in the Spades throne room. Alfred couldn't help but notice the relieved look on Francis' face. It seems that he _really_ did not want to marry Arthur.

"Jack Yao Wang, do you give me, Ludwig Beilschmidt, permission to minister the Oath upon King Jones?"

Alfred suppressed a shudder. He wondered how long it will take for him to get used to the title of King.

"I do."

The three Spades Royals and the King of Hearts had a spell placed on their throats that allowed their voices to be projected throughout the castle. "Then we shall begin. Raise your head, King Alfred F. Jones of Spades."

Alfred looked up, his dark blue meeting sky blue.

"Do you promise to govern the Spades people according to their needs as a nation?"

"I do."

"Will you use the power blessed upon you by the omnipotent Hand to service the people of Spades?"

"I do."

"Do you understand and take the full responsibility of the welfare of the Kingdom of Spades?"

"I do."

"Do you take the other twelve Spades Suits to have and the people to hold?"

"I do." Alfred briefly remembered how Arthur compared the coronation to a wedding. _Accepting the crown is a symbol of dedicating yourself to the country. You are basically marrying the nation_.

"Do you promise to be true to the country, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to uphold the values of your people and never stray from the path of prosperity?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to stand by the Queen, the Jack, the Ace and the Numerals as guardians of your country?"

"Until death do we part." _Marrying the nation indeed._

"By the power vested in me by the Amethyst Alliance between the Hearts and Spades as the Major Suits of Deck, I, Ludwig Beilschmidt, Authoritative King of Hearts, hereby declare you, Alfred F. Jones, the Almighty King of Spades. Queen Arthur Kirkland of Spades, you may now crown the King."

Ludwig stepped aside as Arthur took the position in front of Alfred. Blue eyes met the green ones as King and Queen stood before the Cerulean throne. Arthur shifted the pillow with the crown to his left hand and drew the sword on his hip with the right. _Rámhainní_ was one of the Spades Royals swords. Its twin blade, _Rhawiau_, was resting beside the throne waiting for its King.

"I, Arthur Kirkland, Queen of Spades, dub thee guardian and protector of the Suit,"—he tapped _Rámhainní_ on Alfred's right shoulder—"and the people of Spades,"—then tapped his left shoulder. "Rise, Alfred F. Jones."

Alfred rose to his feet. Even though Arthur stood a step higher, Alfred height was enough for them to stand eye to eye. When he had revealed his identity to the Royals nearly a week ago, he felt as if he had earned some respect from the others. Especially from Arthur, as much as he refused to admit it.

Dark green eyes framed by golden hair stared back intensely. Alfred blinked a couple times to bring himself back from the falling into those green—_Holy shit what am I thinking?_

Arthur lowered his eyes—Alfred was _not_ disappointed at all—and sheathed the sword. A man dressed in a simple blue suit came forward and held the pillow with the crown that Arthur handed to him. The Queen then took the crown in his hands.

"Alfred F. Jones, I present to you the Cerulean Crown of Spades. May it remain a symbol of peace and prosperity, and may it serve as reminder of the power and responsibility granted to you by the great Hand."

The King bowed slightly, making it easier for his Queen to place the gold rimmed crown on his erupted as Alfred turned and faced the crowd as the new King of Spades. The throne room quieted down once more as Yao stepped forward to present Alfred the royal ornaments.

"My King," Yao's voice rang out, "I present to you the Cerulean scepter and the King's Clock."

_The King's Clock is an ordinary clock during times of peace,_ Arthur had told him in one of their rehearsals for the crowning ceremony. _However, during times of war, it will point to the other Kings._

_Is that really helpful? _Alfred thought as he accepted the ornaments from his Jack. The much older man offered him a smile then stepped aside. The crowd cheered once more. _They're not cheering for me_, Alfred thought to himself as he plastered a very convincing fake smile on his face. _They're cheering the fact that they now have someone to complain to._

From the corner of his eye, he saw King Beilschmidt join the other Kings, leaving the Spades Royal Sequence in the spotlight. It was thanks to Ludwig that Alfred was able to overcome the pains of feeling the nation over the past week. Yes, it had something to do with the Hearts and the Spades being the best of allies but Alfred took it on as personal favor from one person who knew the feeling to another.

Then it was Matthews' turn. As the new King, Alfred had to minister the Oath to the Spades just as Ludwig did for him. He went through the proceedings mechanically—much simpler compared to what he had gone through. After tapping _Rhawiau_—now officially his—on his twin's shoulders, the other Suits joined them by the throne and faced their people. Finally thirteen. Finally complete.

It was reported that as soon as Alfred and Matthew had stepped into the capital, the citizens' moods began to brighten. Hours after they had found the Insignia on the back of Matthew's shoulder, Queen Kirkland ordered his three brothers to make the official announcement of their finding. The news were slow enough that they had not reached the other Royals before the meeting but fast enough that the festival announcement the next day wasn't much of a surprise. The Suit already had festivities prepared for the past several centuries, ready to crown the King when he was found.

The five-day festival was grander than most expected because it was not just for the King but his brother as well. They had plenty of reasons to celebrate now that the Suit is complete. Festivities started with a parade of the Spades Suits. It started with the Numerals and ended with the Lettered Royals in a carriage. Alfred was very surprised to see so many people smiling and cheering. Already, the heartache that he felt upon entering the city was subsiding.

The following day was another parade, this time by the Royal sequences of the other kingdoms. Yao and Arthur combined their magic to teleport the other Aces for that, leaving the two magicians exhausted before sundown. The next day was just a day to enjoy the festivities. Alfred and Matthew used this time to get to know the other Royals and to make themselves known to the citizens. By the end of the third day, and with Ludwig's advice, Alfred no longer felt the pain of the nation because it was barely there.

On the fourth day, Alfred had nearly given Arthur a heart-attack when he sprinted into the garden carrying a six hundred pound polar bear on his shoulders as if it weighed nothing. Arthur started to snap at him for bringing a "monster" into palace grounds but let it go when he saw how overjoyed Matthew was—Alfred had found Kumajiro padding towards the entrance of the city. The festivities had continued but the twins stayed in castle for rehearsals for the coronation ceremony.

The last day of festivities was the coronation at sunrise, symbolic for a new start for the whole kingdom, and a masquerade ball at sunset. It was in that ball that Alfred found himself fidgeting uncomfortably in his throne. Arthur stood to his right and Yao to his left. Matthew was standing beside Arthur, just as uncomfortable. Each of them wore a mask of blue and silver with unique golden designs.

The other kingdoms had their own tables near each other. They were currently listening to a large woman reach notes that were dangerously close to glass-shattering.

"Hey, Yao," Alfred whispered, twiddling with the now half-empty glass of wine in his hand.

"Yes, my King?" Yao whispered back, glad for the distraction. He and the Queen, for some reason, weren't drinking anything.

Alfred stopped himself from flinching at the title. "How come there's only one throne?"

"There is only one King."

"Well, there's also a Queen and a Jack. Don't you get thrones?"

It was Arthur that answered. "It's tradition—only the King can sit on a throne."

"Dude, aren't your legs killing you?" Alfred grumbled.

Arthur shifted his feet uncomfortably in answer. _Even though he's a guy, what kind of stupid tradition makes any Queen, or someone as old as Yao, stand while the King is sitting comfortably?_ "That's a ridiculous tradition," Alfred said out loud.

"It's _tradition_," Arthur scolded, as if that was a good enough reason to stand for _hours_. Alfred wondered what kind of face he was making under that mask. They've only known each other for a week and hardly knew each other. But Alfred felt he's met him before…

The singing ended with a polite amount of applause. When Alfred saw that the woman hadn't stepped down from the stage, he jumped to his feet. The ball room quieted and turned their attention to him. _Well, shit._

"Um, hi."

He could _feel_ Arthur mentally face-palming. Alfred couldn't really blame him, but how was he supposed to explain that he didn't want to listen to the lady anymore? And he also can't say that he wasn't the only one falling asleep.

"HI!" Jett yelled from somewhere, causing several smiles to appear. _Thank Hand._

Alfred raised his hand in the direction he heard the voice. "I would like to personally thank the Madam for that beautiful performance." He raised his glass towards her as more applause came.

"Yao," Alfred whispered under the applause, "do you think Roderich will play if I asked him to?"

"_Aiyah_, he'll play alright. But it won't be because you asked him," Yao hissed back as the Madam stepped down from the stage. "It would be because he would want to show everyone 'real music', aru."

"I don't care. How soon can we get a piano up there?"

Before the Jack could make a reply, the Queen snapped his fingers and a piano immediately appeared on the stage causing the audience to gasp softly in shock and awe. Alfred caught the smug smirk on Arthur's mouth before it disappeared to his usual scowl.

"Thank you, my Queen," Alfred said out loud as the crowd quieted down. _Did Arthur's cheeks seem a bit red under his mask?_ "Jack Roderich of Clubs, would you please grace this audience with your musical prowess?"

Roderich was immediately on his feet. He stepped forward, bowed to Alfred then strode purposefully to the piano.

"King Jones, we have an orchestra preparing in the other room," Yao whispered.

"Oh crap, will they be okay with playing with Roderich?"

"Certainly. Shall I call them, aru?"

"Yes," Alfred answered as Yao bowed to him and disappeared behind the curtains by the throne. He had to admit, Roderich wasn't bad on the piano. He couldn't find a single person asleep anymore. Not very long after, the orchestra had joined him on the stage. There were also a couple people swaying in their seats, wanting to dance. _Well, why don't they?_

Then an idea struck him. An idea that he only pursued with the wine working into his system. He set his glass down on the tray of a passing waiter and stepped down to the floor, then turned around. He smiled to the Queen and bowed.

Arthur looked down on him with pink cheeks and wide green eyes the really stood out against the blue of his half mask. Alfred held out his hand to him. It was traditional that the King's first dance should be with his Queen. _Yeah, that's the only reason I'm doing this—since Arthur is so anal about tradition._

The Queen's eyes darted around hastily. _Oh shit, is there something against guys dancing together here?_ Back in their village, Alfred danced with everyone—men, women children, elders, even his own brother.

He snapped out of his mental panic when Arthur placed his hand his. It was much smaller than his, in fact, Alfred was sure his hand can swallow his. The King mentally sighed when there were no gasps of shock.

"I hope you know how to dance," Arthur grumbled, not meeting his eyes. If it weren't for his pink cheeks, Alfred would've thought he was angry with him.

"Yeah, about that…"

"What do you m—"

Alfred pulled his Queen to the dance floor. He thanked whatever compelled the Jack of Clubs to play a more upbeat tune. He began to move to the beat of the music, getting a feel for the mood. Arthur, however, stood there stiffly. _Old fart._ Then an idea popped in the King's head. An idea that would soon later find him with a certain Spades Queen's fist in his face. But an idea nonetheless. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man, lifted him up, and started dancing. He let out a laugh at the beet-red color that Arthur's face—the part that could be seen anyways—turned to.

A light chuckle came from the audience as more people joined them in the dance floor. Francis brought Lili to the dance floor but was blocked by a fuming Vash. Much to everyone's amusement, it was Vash that ended up in Francis' arms, angry as a dragon while Trent Kirkland offered his hand to Lili. Feliciano had skipped his way to the dancers with a nervous Ludwig in tow. The King of Hearts was saved when a smiling Elizabeth took the hyperactive Jack of Hearts as her dance partner. King Braginski was claimed by a scary looking girl with a bow atop her head that made the man very uncomfortable.

"Put. Me. Down. Bloody. Wanker," Arthur grunted, pounding his hands on Alfred's shoulders as most of the tables emptied.

The Spades King caught sight of his twin entertaining Yao's strange dance before pouting at his Queen.

"_Now._"

"Alright, alright." Alfred had his arms around Arthur's thighs. When he loosened his hold, Arthur slipped to the ground, their faces getting _dangerously_ close to each other.

Someone cleared his throat behind him.

King and Queen turned to see the eldest of the Kirkland brothers openly glaring at them. That just also happened to be the time that Alfred noticed that his arms were still locked around Arthur's waist. The two quickly separated.

"Listen, _King_," Allistor growled. "That's my brother you're—"

"Congratulations, King Jones," interrupted the second eldest of the brothers, Ronan, who appeared out of nowhere. Alfred had dubbed the Nine of Spades as the 'normal one' in the litter seeing as how he's not expressionless, aggressive, or short-tempered.

"T-thanks," Alfred answered nervously, still under the glare of the elder.

Ronan threw an arm around Allistor and forced him to turn around. "I hope you enjoy the party," Ronan yelled over the Ten's complaints. "Fireworks will start as scheduled!" And the two disappeared amongst the dancers.

King and Queen stood awkwardly at first until they were pushed together again by the crowd. Alfred made sure not to touch the Queen, knowing how older brothers can be protective. Arthur had maintained the redness of his face.

"So, fireworks?" He asked to break the awkwardness.

To his relief, Arthur answered, but still avoided his eyes. "Yes but they are different than normal fireworks. Kha Loung—I mean Leon, is a specialist in explosives. He's made his own modifications to the rockets to put on a show for everyone. I will also be including my own magic make sure the capital lives up to its name as the City of Lights."

"Hey, can I use magic too? 'Cause that would be pretty awesome."

Arthur laughed a little, his shoulders relaxing. Alfred gave himself a mental pat on the back. "Every Suit can use magic. So yes, you can."

"Like you?"

"Not quite."

"What? Why not," Alfred complained. Arthur's reply was drowned out by applause. Apparently the song had ended. Alfred made a formal thank you to the Jack of Clubs but said nothing to dismiss the pianist.

"Now you get to dance with the other Kings," Arthur said, with an amused smile.

Alfred paled. "What?"

"_Oh King Alfred~!_"

"That'll be Francis," Arthur laughed. "Be careful, he likes to get _familiar_ with everyone. Don't show fear in front of Ivan and I recommend that you do a dance with Ludwig that doesn't involve physical contact."

"Wait—" Alfred tried to say but was twirled on his feet by a certain King of Diamonds.

"_Mon cheri_, congratulations!"

"Erm, thanks."

King Bonnefoy was several inches shorter than him and dressed in bright orange. He was wearing a mask of gold roses. He had taken Alfred's hands and spun with him. "You certainly knew how to make yourself known."

"If you're referring to the meeting, you'll have to forgive my bluntness," Alfred grumbled.

To his surprise, the other laughed. "I should be thanking you. Arthur is an old friend of mine but I had no desire to marry him."

"Then why propose?"

"Because the Concilium ordered me to. I also felt it best for the kingdom. Also…"

He stepped closer, officially invading Alfred's _very_ personal space. _Okay…_

"It's not our faults that the countries are the way they are. We are there for and because of the people," Francis whispered then jumped in surprise.

"_Kolkol_, dance with me, King Jones," Ivan laughed, suddenly appearing behind Francis.

Alfred couldn't help the quick glance of help towards Francis. But the latter looked apologetically. "Sorry, _mon ami_. It is traditional," he whispered then disappeared.

_Don't show fear, don't show fear, don't show fear,_ Alfred reminded himself.

"I want to thank you."

"What?" Alfred asked rather unintelligibly, stumbling over his feet. He was glad that his mask covered a good amount of his face. He made sure to maintain a six-inch gap between them, now easier as people began to sit back down to eat.

"For having Roderich play. His playing at your crowning ceremony shows that Spades and Clubs are in good relations, _da_?"

"Uh, yeah." Alfred was told that thanks to him, the Clubs King had to postpone his return home, therefore postponing the impending civil war.

"You may not know this, but there is a lot going in the land of Deck. More than usual. And as Kings, we have to work together for the land."

"Uh…"

"May I?" Ludwig asked, appearing suddenly. _Oh thank Hand._

"_Da_." Ivan bowed to both Kings before melting into the crowd.

At this time, Elizabeth and Feliciano found themselves on stage. After a few words with Roderich, they began singing an old folk song. Thankfully, all Alfred and Ludwig had to do where step around each other, the latter teaching the former the moves first.

"I appreciate the help you have given since I revealed who I was, King Beilschmidt," Alfred started.

"_Bitteschön,_" Ludwig grunted. "When you are told of the Joker situation, please keep an open mind."

"What?" _Dammit, how many times am I going to say that in the next hour?_

Ludwig sighed. "Just remember, you are a Suit now. A _King_ nonetheless. You are _not _human."

Alfred gulped. "I-I'll remember."

"And trust your Suit. Always trust your Suit. You can't always trust other kingdoms." Ludwig met his surprised look with a stern one. "We each have our own kingdoms to take care of."

Alfred nodded numbly. He took a moment to let everything sink in. He had no idea what to make of all the bits of information he just received. Ludwig stayed silent for the rest of the dance and then strode off to pull his Jack from the stage before he began a ridiculous song.

He spotted Arthur coming towards him. "The fireworks are ready."

"Sweet."

A pause.

"You have to make an announcement, you twit."

"Oh."

Arthur glared him.

"_Oh._" Alfred cleared his throat. "Everyone! Hey, listen up!"

"You can't just—" Arthur began but clamped up when the guests actually quieted and turned to the blue-clad King in the middle of the dance floor.

"My Queen has just informed me that the fireworks show is ready. Please begin making your way towards the plaza and enjoy the performance that members of the Spades Suit have prepared for you."

The guests trickled down to just the Lettered Suits—the Numerals were accompanying the guests to the plaza. Lili, Vash, Elizabeth and Roderich were already on their way to the balcony where they would be getting the best view of the show. Francis and Ivan beckoned the Spades King and Queen towards them.

"Allow me to introduce to you the Ace of Diamonds, Cecily Bonnefoy," Francis said and waved a hand towards the small woman holding his arm. She had tanned skin and wore a flowing orange dress. She had chocolate brown eyes and hair of the same color tied into low-lying pigtails by big red bows. "She is a distant cousin of mine."

"It is an honor to meet you, King Jones," Cecily greeted. Then she placed her palms together then cupped them together as if holding water—symbolic for sharing riches and good will. It took Alfred a moment to realize this was the Diamonds salute and was about to return it when Arthur cleared his throat.

_When someone from a different country salutes you and you are going to salute back, use your own country's salute_, Yao had told him when he was properly introduced to the other Royals. Alfred corrected himself and placed a fist over the King's mark on his chest.

A familiar nudge caught his attention when Ivan stepped forward with his Ace. He saw Matthew appear beside him with the Jack of Spades and smiled politely to the others.

"This is my sister, Natalya Braginski. She is also the Ace of Clubs," the Clubs King said uncomfortably. Natalya had platinum blonde hair like her brother and the same color eyes except that hers were threatening instead of creepy.

Alfred saluted her and jumped slightly when she glared at him.

"Natalya," Ivan scolded. "Greet the good Spades King." Natalya said nothing but placed her fingertips on her forehead then her shoulder in the Clubs salute.

"Nice to meet you both," Alfred said, beaming to them. He then wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders and pulled him forward. "And this is my brother and Ace of Spades, Matthew Williams, as you already know." Alfred smiled as his brother received warm welcomes and congratulations.

"Where are King Beilschmidt and Jack Vargas, Kiku? And it would seem as if your Ace has also disappeared," Arthur said turning to the only Hearts Royal present.

"It would appear that the Jack had eaten something he wasn't supposed to," the Queen said. "It had nothing to do with the food you were serving though—an allergic reaction by the looks of things. My King and Ace are currently taking care of him."

"Very well," Arthur sighed. "Shall we make our way to the balcony? The fireworks special is about to begin."

Alfred nudged Matthew back as they climbed the stairs with others following behind. "Enjoyed the party?"

Matthew chuckled. "I enjoyed you saying 'hi' to everyone."

"Shut up! It was an in-the-moment type of thing," Alfred defended.

"I'm pretty sure it was more of an I-don't-wanna-listen-to-this-lady-anymore type of thing."

"I said shut up, Mattie," Alfred grumbled. "Race you to the top?"

His twin's smile was the only answer he needed. Loud stomps thundered up the stairs as sibling rivalry fuel the King and Ace up the stairs.

"What the bloody hell do you two think you're doing? Get back here!"

"Oh, leave them be, _mon amour_. Boys will be boys after all. Big brother cheers for the both of you!"

"Shut it, you bearded bastard! I know what that means, and don't you dare call me that again!"

Neither one of the twins knew who won their little race. They were too caught up in the adrenaline to see. That and the fireworks started seconds after they reached the top. Alfred heard the other Royals hurry at the first _bang._

The plaza below was filled with people looking up expectantly at the sky. From the balcony, the Royals had the perfect view overlooking the city. The night was thankfully clear and cloudless. It was too early for the stars to come out or for the winter winds to seriously bother anyone.

_I thought fireworks didn't move_, Alfred wondered to himself as lights covered the evening sky. First was a blue stag galloping for Spades, then a red lion roaring for Hearts, followed by an orange peacock walking for Diamonds, and finally green butterflies for Clubs. The rest of the fireworks were series of shapes and colors that moved in the sky with what Alfred suspected was magic. The last firework was a green, winding dragon with horns and large wings. It was animated to fly around the castle, breathe fire and disappear in an explosion of color.

Cheers erupted from below. Alfred clapped politely, not because he didn't enjoy the show but was anxious to see what it was that Arthur would contribute. His blue eyes were trained on his Queen as the applause faded. He watched as Arthur raised a gloved hand to his lips, mutter something he couldn't hear, then lazily waved said hand towards the open air.

Alfred raised an eyebrow and was about to question him when a curtain of light fell from the sky. He instinctively grasped his brother's shoulder, Matthew doing the same to his. The auroras spread through the capital, plunging the grays walls into a dazzling spray of colors. Auroras were not an uncommon phenomenon in their mountains. But each time they saw it, no matter how many times, they couldn't help but touch each other. The first time they had seen the curtain of lights, was on their third birthday when their mother took them on their first time to the highest peak of their mountains. After seven centuries and millions of memories, the one of their third birthday was one they refuse to forget.

_I will also be including my own magic make sure the capital lives up to its name as the City of Lights_. Alfred found his eyes wandering towards the yellow hair and blue suit of Arthur. The man was making small movements with his hands, as if conducting the orchestra of lights in the sky. He had a green glow around him that reminded Alfred of the firework dragon earlier.

Suddenly, Arthur froze, face cast down on the crowd below. The soft glow surrounding him suddenly vanished as did the aurora in the skies. Just as people began their confused murmurings, Yao pointed to the sky, uttered something under his breath and the aurora returned with a blast of reds, yellows, and oranges.

"Arthur?" Francis asked with what Alfred thought was concern.

"I-I'm fine," Arthur grunted, fixing the mask upon his face. "I just remembered I had some something that I had to do before the fireworks began. Something that requires my immediate attention. Forgive me, but I must excuse myself. My King?"

The Queen looked up at him with stern green eyes that wouldn't back down or answer any of his questions. No one in the balcony believed Arthur's lie anyways. "Of course," Alfred said neutrally, then waved out his arm. "Allow me to escort you down. I'd like to have another drink."

Alfred thought he saw him hesitate but it was gone in a split-second. The Queen nodded and led the way back down the stairs. They pretended not to notice the questioning stares from the other Royals. Once they were out of earshot, Arthur turned around.

"This really is something personal, Alfred. Don't follow me," Arthur whispered harshly.

"Like I said, I just want another drink," Alfred grumbled back.

Arthur didn't reply as they reached the throne room. There were a few stragglers still there, chatting or eating together. Several watched the fireworks through the windows. They bowed as King and Queen passed them.

Alfred took off his mask as Arthur's shoes clicked out of the throne room. He politely thanked several of the guests who congratulated him and avoided anyone that looked like they wanted to talk politics, which was surprisingly low. _I guess everyone wants to celebrate today._

He plucked a glass of water from the table. _No sense in getting drunk in my first day as King_. He gulped the glass and a servant immediately rush to relieve him of the empty glass. Alfred muttered his thanks and turned to join his brother in the balcony but collided with someone.

"Ah, that was my bad," Alfred said as he grasped the man's arm, steadying him.

"It's no problem at all, your Majesty," a gruff yet mischievous voice said. "The awesome me shouldn't have made a mistake like that."

_An accident isn't a mistake_, Alfred wanted to say but bit his tongue.

The man he ran into smiled widely at him. He had peculiar silver hair that did not match his youthful frame. He was wearing a black formal-military-looking suit. The gold feathers of his mask made the bright red hue of his eyes stand out even more. "You did drop this, however."

The man opened a gloved hand. Sitting on his palm was a golden clock shaped as a Spade. The King's Clock, which wasn't left the inside pocket of Alfred's coat, was happily ticking in this stranger's hold.

Alfred took an instinctive step back in alarm, his shoulders tensing. He felt a weird vibe coming off of from his man. "Who—"

The stranger followed him, taking a step forward. "This the King's Clock. You are the King. Shouldn't you be keeping a closer eye on this awesome masterpiece?"

The King of Spades opened his mouth but no voice came. He also found himself unable to move no matter how much he struggled. Wide blue eyes were pinned down by red. The man stepped closer and placed the clock into Alfred's inside coat pocket. Oh, how much he wanted punch that smug look off of his face with all the strength he could muster. If only he could move.

"Congratulations, _König der Spaten_," he said with a smile that left Alfred cold. The man began to walk away as warmth seeped back into Alfred's body, but he could find himself barely wanting to move. "We all have been waiting for you."

* * *

**Yeah, this was a long chapter but necessary for clarifying things and building the culture of the world and whatnot.**

**Special thanks to Elirandra Jenkins for editing this chapter~!**

**Translations (via google translate);**

_**Mein Hand**_ — **German for 'My Hand' (this AU's version of 'My God')**

_**Heilige scheiße **_— **German for 'Holy shit'**

_**Bitteschön **_— **German for 'You're welcome'**

_**Mon cher **_— **French for 'My dear'**

_**Mon ami **_— **French for 'My friend'**

_**Da **_— **Russian for 'yes'**

_**Mon amour **_— **French for 'My love'**

_**König der Spaten **_— **German for 'King of Spades'**

**Please let me know if any of these translations are wrong and I will fix them as soon as I can!**

**Thanks for reading~~! Review~!**


End file.
